Life is 18 Wheeler
by spebonne
Summary: Chloe Price is a truck driver for Chase Freight Ltd, a small transport company based in a small town close to Newport, Oregon called Arcadia Bay. All isn't perfect in her life, but it's still a great one. Until, she finds a short, wounded and very defensive pink-haired girl hiding in her trailer. Who is the unexpected passenger? What happened to her? How will their relation devlop?
1. Chapter 1 - The Stowaway

**A/N:**

 **Hey every body!**

 **So here it is, my 3rd story! A complete AU where Chloe is driving A TRUCK, a real big fat 18 wheeler!**

 **Hope you will enjoy it!**

* * *

 **The Stowaway**

It definitively was a great day. The weather kept getting worse and rain had been pouring abundantly on that stormy November day. That and the strong winds weren't there to ease the mind of Chloe Price as she sat quietly in her trucks cabin.

She reclined on the comfortable seat, crossing her hands behind her head as she listened to the sound of the rain hitting the roof and the windshield mixing with the rock songs playing from the radio.

 _I need a smoke._

The idea had been in her mind for a while, strengthened by her inactivity, but the weather had not really been decent enough to step out and her boss frowned upon smoking in the company's vehicle.

She threw a glance at her trucks mirror and groaned. _Three freaking hours! They should have finished loading three freaking hours ago!_

"Argh! Fuck it!" She sat up and reached for the pack of cigarettes resting in the center console. Pulling one out, she flicked her zippo alight and started up her smoke.

"Aaahh that's the stuff! And Bitchtoria can fucking suck my dick! Next time she should make sure I won't wait hours for nothing!"

As if on cue, the CB came alive.

"Chloe, you there?"

 _Fuck!_

Chloe sighed and reached for the mike that hung from the radio.

"Where do you want me to be? Of course I'm here!"

"Hey! No need to bark at me! I'm just askingn you know."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Well yeah… Okay, Rach, what do you need?"

The voice of Rachel Amber sounded playful as it responded. "Well, what I need is you on your knees with your head between my legs right fucking now! But baring that, I just wanted to get a status update for the boss"

Chloe scoffed. While Rachel and she were officially in a relationship, it would have surprised her if the blonde were to really be that needy sexually. Not that Rachel was what one might call a cold woman, far from it - the blonde was as hot and horny as you could possibly be - but the girl had been acting mysterious in the past months, coming home late, not being as nagging as she usually was when Chloe left for several days. And Chloe started to get pretty strong suspicions as to whether or not the girl had been getting some on the side.

With a sigh she spoke again in the mike. "Trust me, I'd prefer that too, instead of sitting on my ass doing nothing while waiting for those idiots to find their asses!"

"I guess that means you're not on your way yet."

"It means that our esteemed Boss's husband's employees still haven't even started to load their cargo into my truck! And that's not a twisted innuendo!"

"Okaaay… I guess I'll have to find a way to tell her." The voice sounded a bit shy at the idea.

"Yeah… And you tell her there's no way I'll make the deadline for the delivery in those conditions. I'm not breaking every Out of Service regulations because her asshole of a husband isn't able to kick his company into shape!"

"I'll… Pass the message along, although I'll try to be a bit more diplomatic about it."

Chloe rolled her eyes, taking a drag from her cigarette. She actually had the time to finish it before the voice came out of the speakers again.

"Chloe?"

"Still there, sitting on my ass and waiting."

"Victoria says she's calling them directly to see what's wrong. She also says you should try to limit the delay as much as possible while keeping things as reasonably safe as possible." A soft chuckle echoed from the speakers. "She says she can replace you, not the truck."

"Glad to hear our O so beloved dictator can be reasonable. Tell her I'll let you know when I'm getting underway and that I'll be there when I'll be there."

"Will do. Drive safely!"

Chloe hung the mike to the overhead console and settled back in her seat. Once again she glanced at the mirrors. _I wonder how long it will take them to move after Bitchtoria chased their ass out of their chairs?_

* * *

The answer to her question ended up to be something along the lines of 'too damned long!'. Chloe had given up on waiting in the driver's seat and had retreated in the sleeper cabin, deciding to log things as Not on Service and catch some sleep instead of wasting time. _At least this way I'll be able to get back home sooner!_

She had been asleep for a couple hours when the shift of the trucks suspension as well as the sounds of movements, coming from the trailer her truck was attached to, woke her up. She quickly glanced at the passenger's side mirror, which was visible from the couch, and confirmed that workers were moving pallets toward her truck. _About time!_

With a grunt, she stood up and made her way to the driver's seat. Picking up her cigarettes and log book, she opened the door and stepped out of her truck, quickly closing the door and running to the loading dock.

"Hey Chloe! Sorry 'bout the waiting!" A dark skinned man greeted as she approached. She took the time to light her cigarette before shaking his hand. "Mr. North! What's the hold up?"

The man looked at an approaching pallet and took a few notes on his clipboard. "Well not our fault… You know how our boss can be a control freak? The little shit decided that no cargo were to leave storage without his green light."

Chloe scoffed. "Let me guess, the guy went home early forgetting he had asked for a pick up."

The man nodded. "Yeah, something like that. I dunno who was the most pissed between him and the brunette we found him with."

Chloe shook her head with a knowing smile. That Nathan Prescott was cheating on his wife, aka Chloe's boss, was an open secret. Chloe even suspected the cheated wife to know all about her husband's sexcapades. _Besides, I would not be surprised if the girl was her friend too! Not like she cares._

"Caught them in the act?" She asked. "You know, my boss would pay handsomely for pictures, right?"

"I'll think about it next time then. Always wondered why she tolerated the prick."

"I think it's mainly cause they got a pre-nup and she wants to bleed the cheating bastard." She shrugged, not really caring about all these. "Not that I care… doubt they ever loved one another anyway." She took a drag from her cigarette, watching as workers were pulling more pallets into her truck. "What you got for me today?"

The man looked at his clip board. "Bunch of electronics – TVs, DVD players, the stuff…"

"How much weight?"

"Total should be around 25 000." He said with a shrug.

"Light but space eating stuff, alright… You think you'll have to stack them?"

"Nah… They would not support it! Too fragile."

The punk sighed in relief. "Good… with the wind being what it is, I'll be glad not to be top heavy. No need to have this fucker swing behind me all the way."

"I know what you mean." He looked as another pallet passed by, inspecting it and registering its identification code on his clipboard.

Chloe stood there, watching the workers moving around her truck, making sure they didn't bang her trailer too much or messed up the loading. "How are the boys? I haven't seen them in a while."

The man smiled as he announced proudly. "You should watch the next Seahawk's game if you want news about Drew!"

"You are kidding me? He's making his debut?"

"Maybe yeah! He's on the roaster for the game, at least. Hope he gets a few plays!"

"What position is he playing?"

"They got him as corner back. Guess they needed good people in defense."

"They got to after they let Sherman go!" She pondered a moment. "I'm not sure I'll be able to catch the game though, I'll do my best. Worst case, I'll listen to it on the radio for sure! Tell him I'm cheering for him if you have a chance."

"Will do!" The man paused as he saw another pallet come. He went to look closer, inspecting the wrapping and seals with a frown. After a few seconds, he nodded and let the worker pull it to the truck. "Michael's still in college, doing good too. Never thought he would make it to USC on a full scholarship. I'm a blessed man!"

"You can say that! Two kids, two college graduates!"

"Yeah! And with what I make, I never thought I would be able to put even one through college too!" He shook his head, looking at the sky. "I was lucky, really…"

"Hey, you guys deserved it!"

She watched as the men loaded the last pallet in her truck and tethered it down. "Quick and efficient, as usual with your team!" She smiled to the man as he extended his clipboard. "Well, once when you do start to work anyway."

She perused the form, checking that all the necessary documents were in the attached manifest, then signed the register. "There you go!"

The man nodded as he took the clipboard back, counter-signing the release papers. "You going straight to Seattle or you're stopping by HQ?" He asked as he detached the pouch with the travel documents and handed them to Chloe.

Chloe pondered a moment. "I'm supposed to go to Seattle, drop this load and pick up some other cargo. But the depot's on the way so I might have a rest there."

"Then say hi to the gang for me."

"Will do!" Chloe nodded, looking as the workers closed the loading doors and waved as she ran through the rain to her truck.

She quickly climbed in her cabin and closed the door, shivering as she wiped the rain from her face. "Fuck it weather!" She placed the pouch in the door, then turned the key and started up the engine, letting it warm up. As she waited for the air tanks to fill up, she reached for the driver's log, noting down the time.

Switching on the lights and fastening her seatbelt, she checked every gauge on her dashboard before pressing the parking break and trailer break fobs, listening to the hissing sound of released pressure. With a nod, she pressed the clutch pedal and shifted into Low gear, slowly letting the truck move away from the dock. She waited for the truck to reach 5mph before she pressed the break pedal, testing the system.

As the truck stopped, she nodded to herself and pulled the parking break fob as she shifted back into neutral. "Okay, load is only 25 thousands, so I don't need the third axle." She muttered pressing a switch on the dashboard to raise the rear axle on the 53ft trailer. Opening the window and passing the head through to give a quick check, she smiled as she judged her truck ready for the trip.

Releasing the breaks again, she shifted back to Low gear and drove to the gates. Nodding to the guard as he noted down her departure time, she checked the road before inserting herself into traffic, glancing at her side mirrors to make sure her long trailer didn't hit anything. Checking her GPS, she made her way toward the I-80, leaving San Francisco behind her before reaching for the CB.

* * *

Rachel was lying back on her desk, groaning as she bit her hand to muffle any sounds she could make, when the speaker came to live.

 _"Yoh Rach, you there?"_

"Fuck!"

She frantically tried to reach for the radio, trying to ignore the tongue that was exploring her pussy as she responded. "Ye.. yeah I'm here! Are you on your way?"

 _Shit! Worst timing ever!_

" _Yeah, they finally moved their butt!"_ Chloe's voice responded. _"Apparently, Dicktoria's man decided no cargo was to leave without his permission, then judged he'd rather cheat on his wife with some brunette rather than be there for the pick-up he ordered."_

Rachel tensed and bit her lip at the mention of the word 'cheating'. She could not help but feel a bit guilty, speaking on the CB with her girlfriend while she herself was in a compromising position.

"The usual shit. I'll be sure to pass the message to the boss." She said, eyes shifting to look at the blonde head between her legs.

 _"Yeah… Well, anyway I just left Frisco… I'm on the 80 and moving to reach the 5. Can you keep an eye on the report for the pass? I'll call you when I get to Redding, see if I need to take the 101 instead."_

"S… Sure! No problem… I'll keep my eyes on the reports! Drive safe, okay?"

She had to bit her lip, her current partner having decided not to pause and in fact send her over the edge while she was conversing with Chloe.

 _"Will do! Cya soon babe!"_

Rachel dropped the mike back on the table, shuddering and panting, her hands moving to grab a handful of the pixie blonde hair as she groaned. "FUCK!"

For the following minutes, all she could hear was just her heavy breathing and the slurping sounds of her partner finishing to lick her juices. She closed her eyes, lying back on her desk as she thought. _I'll really have to… face this soon… I can't just keep it going like this..._

"Feeling guilty?" Her partner asked, raising her head from what she was doing and resting her chin on her crotch.

"Yeah… a little…" Rachel admitted.

"Well why do you keep coming for more then?" The blonde asked slowly standing up, reaching in her pocket of a tissue. "I mean, it's not like I'm going to fire you if you call it quit, you know." She added wiping her face clean.

"It's not that!" Rachel defended herself as she sat up. "Chloe and I have been together for years… and … I just don't know how to tell her it's over…" She reached and caressed Victoria's cheek, softly pulling her for a kiss. "You know I love you… please trust me… I'll … I'll find a way."

* * *

She had to take a break at a truck stop near Sacramento. Unable to take the 505 at Vacaville, thanks to some asshole having decided to push it and fall asleep at the wheel, and the 113 being closed for road work, she had driven up to Sacramento in order to reach the I-5; and after over two hours, she really needed a break, a trip to the toilet, a cigarette, a hot meal and coffee.

She took her time, sitting in the warmth of the diner, enjoying her eggs with a side of bacon as she looked down a road map planning her trip. _With the weather, the Siskiyou Pass might be all snowed up… which means, I might have to divert to the 101. Maybe I should do that anyway, drive along the coast up to Newport, stopping by Arcadia Bay. Mom would probably be happy to see me for once and I could maybe get to spend a night home with Rach too._

She pondered a moment. _Better wait to see if the pass is open. I'm already late as it is; no need to make it worse._ _Probably would piss Victoria up too… The bitch's been on my case for months already._

She finished her food, leaving enough cash to cover for her meal, and a nice enough tip that she would not feel ashamed the next time she saw her mom, and headed back to her truck. She was about to walk to the cabin when she noticed something wrong with her trailer.

"What the…" She blinked, walking closer. "Holy shit!"

As she reached the rear, she saw the gap indicating one of the doors was not fully closed. _How long has it been like this? Fuck, I hope it hasn't been since Frisco! I better check the cargo!_

She hurried toward the tractor, climbing in the cabin. She reached for her Mag-lite torch and headed back to the trailer, inspecting the latches and locking mechanism.

 _Doesn't seem damaged… Did Prescott's goon fail to secure it or has someone gotten inside to steal some?_

With a grunt, Chloe climbed into the trailer, checking the first pallets for traces of rain or that it had been tempered with.

Nothing. The trailer was barely showing signs of water, indicating that the door had not been opened that long, certainly not since San Francisco at least. Yet the pallets didn't seem to have been touched.

"Well that's good at least…" She sighed, swiping her torch across the trailer. She was about to step down and close the door when someone sneezed.

Jerking her head up, she pointed the light to the source of the sound. "Hello? Is someone there?" She wormed herself through the trailer carefully, sliding between pallets. She walked around the stack of DVD players from which the sneeze had come and found herself face to face with a pink-haired girl. A pink-haired girl, looking like a mess with a black eye, tattered clothes and an arm wrapped around her ribcage. A pink-haired girl looking pissed and desperate. A pink-haired girl that was pointing a gun straight at her face.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" was the only thing she could say as she looked down the mean looking barrel.


	2. Chapter 2 - Escaping from Hell

**A/N:**

 **And here comes Chapter 2... It took a bit of time to work on this one. Actually this is the 2nd or 3rd version of it. The first I really didn't like what I had done so I reworked it. The second version was better, but after getting some advices from my beta readers I went with another solution again.**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter nonetheless.**

 **Also special thanks to Jossi55 and Husky1980 for beta reading this story!**

 **As usual do not hesitate to review!**

* * *

 **Escaping from Hell**

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

 _That was a good question_ , Max thought as she held the gun aimed at the strange woman's head, blinking at the blinding light of the torch that was pointed her way.

It certainly had not been part of how she had imagined her life when she was younger.

 _Where did it go so wrong?_

* * *

Her childhood had been that of a happy and loved child. Born in Seattle and sole daughter to Ryan and Vanessa Caulfield, she had grown up as part of a tight Irish Catholic family were all members were close and supportive.

Her mother was a housewife, taking care of their home, making sure the food was ready and delicious, always fresh and home cooked; making sure Maxine's bed was clean; driving and picking up her daughter from school, helping with her homework. This was how Maxine had remembered her mother for most of her childhood.

Her father, she gathered, was a business man. He worked varying hours, sometimes leaving early, sometimes late. Some days, he would work from home, sitting behind his desk in the office. She knew he was very busy, so even as a child she had figured he was a boss or something like that. He was a hardworking man, her father, but he always made time for her. She could have come in his office in the middle of the day while he worked on his computer, and he would stop what he was doing to bounce her on his legs. Or even if something important seemed to be happening, he would make time to go to any events she appeared into, school plays, graduations, everything.

She also saw the rest of her family very often. She remembered the Sunday's lunches after church with her grandparents, her uncles and aunts, her cousins. They were cheerful, entertaining and she had loved her family, even when she had started to hear rumors as she got older.

She had grown up loved and cherished, and wasn't that what every child wanted?

She had gone to school like every little girl, although her shy demeanor had kept her apart from other kids her age. Few had tried to tease or bully her though, and those who did never did it twice. So Maxine had always felt safe and protected, and her tormentor having been punished somehow always made her feel like the world was just and fair.

Around the age of twelve, two things had changed her life. The first had been her discovering of photography. Maxine had fallen in love with the way she could capture the moments, the little pieces of time around her. She had come to prefer the way the world around her looked through the lens of a camera. Her parents had been overjoyed that she had found a passion and they had showed her so much support, buying cameras, film and computers for her to pursue her development as photographer. It had been rather ironic, though, that among all the high-end cameras her parents had bought, both numeric and analogic, Maxine had favored an old instant camera which was much older than she was. Her parents had teased her about it every time she took pictures with the old Polaroid, but Maxine preferred it. She loved the way each picture was definitive and forever settled on paper.

The second thing that changed her life, though, she had not shared with anyone. Back then, she had not known the reasons behind her hesitations, and part of her had insisted that her parents would have understood. Still, she had been raised as a devout Catholic, and the Church still considered it a sin. Because what Maxine had discovered about herself was that while she still found boys gross, she had started to feel strongly attracted to girls.

Had it been where everything started to turn out so wrong? Had it been when the innocent girl known as Maxine had died and given place to Max? Was being a lesbian the reason she stood there beaten up in a trucker's trailer, hurting, cold and pointing a gun at some stranger's face?

She did not know anymore. After a happy 18 years of childhood, she had spent 5 years in some kind of hell. And now she just wanted an escape! To hide and bother no one as she got away from this place!

* * *

Unfortunately, she had not expected the driver to actually check inside the trailer, nor had she been able to hold the sneeze back. And now she was there, standing, a white light pointed at her face as she held her injured arm cradled along her injured ribs, and pointed the gun at a blue-haired woman with a beanie.

"Please, just leave me alone! I don't wanna hurt anyone, but if you even fucking touch me, I'll shoot!"

The woman raised her free hand in a surrendering motion. "Okay listen, I don't wanna hurt you either, okay? But this is my truck and I can't let you stay here."

Her voice was soft and almost apologetic. But Max had to get out of the place. "I can't! I have to get out of this fucking town! I have to!"

Chloe took a step back as she saw the wavering gun and heard the girl's frantic voice. _Fuck! Just my chance!_

She lowered her torch a bit, deciding that pushing things by blinding the girl would not help. "Okay dude, listen. I don't know you, I don't want you any ill, okay? If you want out of town, fine! I can take you out of town, okay?" She waved her free hand around her. "But I can't let you stay in the trailer!"

"Why! I'm not bothering anyone here!" The pink-haired girl hissed while pointing her gun insistently.

"Well, it's not fucking safe for one! You would fucking bounce around the place all the way, in here." She explained. "And trucks have their weight controlled regularly to see if it fits with the one listed on the cargo manifest! I know you probably don't weight much, but you'll still show and the cops are bound to check and find you." She shook her head. "I'm not eager to find myself in the position where I have to explain why I have a bleeding, gun carrying girl in my trailer, are you?"

Max hesitated for a moment. The woman sounded genuine, but she could not trust anyone anymore.

The blue-haired girl saw the slight wavering, the hesitation in the girl. "Listen, I'll take you out of here if you want, but you've got to travel in the tractor's cabin with me, okay?"

"You'll really take me with you?" Max asked with a hit of doubt in her voice. "You won't ask for favors in exchanges? You don't just say that to get me out of your trailer?"

Chloe shook her head. "Nah. No favors, except maybe keep the gun pointed away from me." She shrugged. "As for getting you out, since I know you won't shoot me, not like I need you to agree if I really wanted you out."

"Who the fuck said I would not shoot you!" Max barked back.

"Well first, you don't seem to be the kind who would shoot someone like that. You are hurt and scared, true, but had you wanted to shoot me you'd have done so already."

"I don't want to hurt anybody! But that doesn't mean I won't shoot you if you try to touch me!"

"And you would be stuck here anyway since this is my truck and you can't drive it yourself. Besides, I'd feel more threatened if it wasn't so obvious it's the first time you hold a gun."

"I know how it works! I just have to press the trigger!" Max retorted hesitantly.

"Well, yes… Only, it won't work with the safety on!" Chloe sighed at the puzzled face the pinkette showed her. "Dude, listen! I'm sure those who hurt you aren't that far, and I'd rather not get involved in it either. So I guess we don't have much time. I promise, I won't touch you unless you let me care for your wounds. I won't dump you here because I'm not a jerk either. All I ask is that you follow me out of the trailer. I'll show you to your seat, I'll lock the trailer's door, join you in the cabin and we drive away, okay?"

Max looked at the girl, not really knowing what to do either. She felt like maybe she could trust her. _Not like I got much to lose anyway._ "You swear to Dog?"

The bluenette chuckled at the cute request. "I hella swear to whatever you want, okay? Just come with me."

Max hesitated, leaving the trailer was taking the risk of being seen, of being caught, or just to find herself stranded again. At the same time, staying in the trailer wasn't really getting her anywhere. She bit her lip and slowly waved the tip of the gun toward the door. "You first."

* * *

Chloe was glad when the girl relented. She carefully moved back through the tethered pallets and dropped from the trailer. She looked up at the girl who scanned the parking, searching to see if her pursuer were nearby. "Need help getting down?"

"No. Get back." The response came, half barked as the pink haired girl tried to keep her distance.

"Okay… just offering." She said, taking a step back, both hands raised in evidence.

It took a while for the girl to actually get down from the trailer. It was a rather big step to get down from and the girl wasn't big to begin with. Adding to that, that she was obviously hurt, Chloe was more surprised that the girl managed to get down on her own without face-planting the parking lot or yelping in pain.

As the girl slowly stepped away from the trailer, she reached for the loading door and carefully secured it. She then walked along the right side of the truck, reaching in her pocket of her keys.

"This way." She invited, walking toward the tractor's passenger door. She unlocked it and opened it up before looking at the pinkette.

It was the first real sight she had of the girl and while she thought the pink-haired girl would look cute as hell on a normal day, with her big blue eyes, her bubblegum colored hair, her brown freckles on her pale skin; the punk could not help but wince at the girl's state. Her otherwise white skin was turning purple and bluish on her bare belly. Her face showed several bruises and her lips were split. The arm with which she supported her ribcage - obvious sign that some of her ribs were, if not broken, definitively sore – had a swollen wrist with purplish skin and a long gash from her elbow to her shoulder from which blood dripped.

Chloe felt something boiling in her at the sight. _Who fucking does that to a girl so cute!_

Pursing her lips, she climbed in the cabin from the passenger side and reached behind the seat in the sleeper's flat. She grabbed an old blanket from the storage under the bed and put it on the seat as she stepped down. "Sorry, the truck's not mine and you are bleeding…" She explained as the pinkette frowned. "Get in. I promise I won't ask you to do anything for me, okay? You get in, we leave and whenever you want out, you just say it."

As the girl climbed in, she carefully closed the door behind her before stepping around the truck. Before climbing in the driver's seat, she opened a compartment on the flank of the truck, taking a white case with a green cross from it.

* * *

Max looked warily at the truck-girl as she opened the door and climbed in the cabin. She felt a bit insulted that the girl would protect her truck's seat. _As if I'm filthy and all!_

But she had to admit that she was probably dirty and her bleeding arm would be a concern. She waited quietly, eyes moving around nervously.

 _Hurry up! I don't want to be found!_

She shivered, feeling cold and exhausted. The rush of adrenaline was wearing off and she started to feel the pain in her ribs and arm, the screams of her muscles, the coldness of the ground on her feet.

 _That should be a lesson for you, Max! Never wear fucking heels ever again! Snickers all the fucking way from now on!_

At the driver's invitation, she slowly climbed the few steps leading to the cabin, wincing as the ice cold metal of the ladder pressed on her feet through the ragged socks. She sat in the passenger's seat, taking a quick glance around her as she waited.

She jumped on the seat as the driver's door opened and she saw the driver climbing in with a first-aid kit.

"I thought you might need that." The girl explained as she slipped in her seat and handed her the box. "I can tend to your wounds if you want." She closed the door behind her, looking at her.

Max shook her head. "I'm fine! I want to leave as soon as possible!"

The driver pursed her lips, obviously not believing her. "Okay… Put your seatbelt on." She simply said, putting her key in the ignition and turning the engine on. An alarm rang in the cabin, sharp and ear-piercing, and Max jumped on her seat, looking around in panic.

The driver chuckled softly. "Relax! Easy there! It's just telling us the air tank for the breaks needs pressuring up!" She smiled warmly as the sound disappeared while two needles on the dashboard slowly but steadily moved up. "See? Everything's ready."

Max grumbled as she started to relax. "Let's get away from here, fast."

The woman nodded. "As you want, but we stop in a few miles and you let me check your arm, okay?" She pushed two fobs on the dashboard and looked through the side window before pressing on pedals and moving a command lever between them. "Bleeding out to death would not help yah!"

Max heard the beeping warning of the reverse gear starting to sing from outside and the hissing sound of the pressure in the break system being released. She felt the truck slowly start to back up as she grudgingly nodded. "Fine!"

She watched the girl at the wheel maneuver with the ease of experience, feeling rather surprised that such a thin and young looking person could actually control such a heavy vehicle. She looked as the truck stopped with a hiss of air circulating in tubes. She saw the girl move the stick back to its center position, fiddle with a fob on the side of the pommel, and then push it forward. When the truck started to move forward, the air blew out as the breaks got released again. To Max, this was the sound of freedom as she realized she had managed to escape.


	3. Chapter 3 - Strangers in the Truck

**A/N: And here is Chapter 3**

 **Now for the news, I have uploaded on the American Truck Sim workshop the skins for the Trailers used by Chloe's company, so feel free to use them! (sorry, FF does not allow me to put the link, but feel free to check AO3 if you need it!**

 **Now we're still on a slow move, well get more in the story in a few more chapters, but I liked this slow prologue.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Strangers in the Truck**

Chloe drove silently, eyes scanning the road and the mirrors in a regular pattern. Her hand reached for the stereo system hesitantly, and then returned to the wheel without having done anything. In the midst of her careful watch, she took a time to quickly study her passenger.

The girl's clothing was a bit disconcerting, considering the temperatures of the season. That and Chloe wasn't used on seeing people wear that kind of outfit in public. Wearing a translucent white blouse, unbuttoned and just tied under chest, a very short plaid skirt and thigh high wool socks, the girl would probably be more at her place in a bed room as she played with her boyfriend.

 _Reminds me of something Rachel wore once._

She dismissed the thought quickly, not wanting to do anything displaced toward the obviously tensed girl.

It was kinda hard though, with the lights pouring on the highway from the lamps, Chloe could see the girl's pale skin, her brown freckles. She even caught sight of the girl's bare breasts through the sheer fabric of her blouse.

On the other hand, she could also see the scraps and the dark bruises spreading along the girl's frail body.

The girl beside her shifted on the seat obviously having a hard time to find a comfortable position, which enabled Chloe to catch a glimpse of the bleeding arm.

"You should put a compress on your arm." She said softly, eyes on the road again. "It would help till we stop to look at your wounds."

The girl looked up toward her and she could feel the eyes trying to study her face and the brain behind them trying to decide whether she was a friend or a foe.

"There's some in the first aid kit." Chloe kept going as she looked in her mirror, preparing to change lane.

The girl beside her said nothing. She did not move for a moment, then opened the white box carefully, fumbling inside for a few seconds before pulling out a squared paper pouch. She ripped it open, pulling the compress from it and reached to press the gauze on her wound.

 _Not much of a talker, damn!_

"I had planned to stop at Redding to check the weather on the road ahead." She explained, trying to get some response out of the girl. "We should be there in a couple of hours. Can we look at your wounds there? Or do you think we should look at them earlier?"

She purposely kept her eyes away from the girl, trying not to look too concerned, trying not to feel like pressuring the girl. The pinkette nodded softly as she grumped. "Yeah… is fine." She was obviously not really eager to get her wounds checked by a stranger.

Chloe shrugged. "I could always take you to a hospital, if you prefer." She gave a soft smile as she tried to lighten the mood.

"NO!" The response came with a panicked burst. "No hospital!"

The driver nodded. "Got it… Hospitals ask questions…" She turned, looking at the girl in the passenger seat with a worried frown. "Still, I think it might be better if you see a doc soon."

The girl shook her head. "I… I can't…"

"If you can't pay, I'm sure we can find a solution, you know… I mean, I'm sure hospitals have some free clinic or something."

Another shake of the pink head.

"Okay, fine… But if you faint on my seat, I'll take you straight to the next emergency room."

* * *

Max sat silently, her left hand still occupied with holding the compress tightly on her right arm. She felt uncomfortable, sitting like this in a stranger's vehicle; and the chat the driver tried to initiate made her even more wary. _Yeah, she's trying to get friendly so she can ask whatever repayment she wants! Gotta be careful!_

Max looked around the truck, trying to gauge on its driver's personality. There was nothing much to say about it though, the seats were a standard grey upholstery fabric, the floor and dashboard were clean, which kind of went against the girl's punkish look. In the center console, a pack of cigarettes was resting in one of the cup holder, the other one hosting some kind of mug. Above their heads, the overhead console had a couple small nooks, where books and notepads had been placed, surrounding a CB set with reddish digits.

Shifting in her seat, Max took a look at the sleeper's area behind her. It was larger than she imagined, although still spartan. Most of the area was comprised of a couch that probably served as a bed too, judging by the blanket and linens that had not been tidied up. It could probably host two people; as long as they did not mind very close promiscuity.

On each side, as if separating the sleeping quarters from the driving area, stood two cupboards. The one behind the driver's seat seemed to be comprised of two or three spaces, all closed by some plastic door. Behind the passenger's seat, a similar unit stood with a closed space at the bottom, an open space with what looked like a small table – _probably can be pulled out more than that too, if the rails at the bottom can be trusted –_ with a small microwave oven tethered to the wall just above. And in the top space, a very small TV set with an onboard DVD player was strapped secure.

Above the couch, another set of small storage units were affixed against the back wall. Craning her neck a bit, Max noticed the small curtains on either side of the couch as well as smaller ones circling the cabin, starting one side and circling the rise at the junction between both cabins, to finish on the other side. _Windows? Probably gives some nice natural light in the cramped space._

Max could see some pictures and drawings stuck on the far wall or at some of the cupboards doors. The larger ones were just posters of various bands, most of which from the punk rock or metal area. The drawings were mainly some kind of punkish designs, skulls, roses and thorns, sometimes with a character in the middle. The most noticeable one was that of a naked angel, definitively female too, with her legs and waist wrapped in vines, thorny vines tethering her wings and arms as she obviously tried to pull herself up. _Yeah, I kinda know how you feel there…_

The smaller pictures were just that – pictures of the driver girl with various people, probably friends. The only recurrent face was that of a blonde girl with long hair, almond green eyes and wearing a blue feather earring. Max could not judge from where she sat, but to her the girl looked gorgeous enough to be some kind of model. Seeing how the girl always posed so close to the blue-haired punk, Max kind of got the feeling that she was the driver's girlfriend too, which did not help making her feel at ease.

 _Great, of all the girl driving trucks, I had to fall on a lesbian! Guess that fucking 'repayment' solution isn't really out of the picture after all…_

She sat back and looked through the windshield, an assemblage of two glass panels that gave the truck an ancient look. _Do they still make them today?_ She could not help but smile at the plush Garfield toy stuck on the glass, and smirk at the small plastic warning sign claiming that 'diesel fumes made the driver horny'. _Well she at least have some kind of humor._

Beside her, the girl at the wheel kept her eyes on the road, one hand on the wheel as she rested her head on the other, her elbow pressed on the side window. Max took the time to look at her in more detail, noting how tall and slender she looked. Her hairs were obviously died blue under the dark blue beanie she had on her head. Her eyes were just as blue as her hair, like two bright sapphires that pulled light to see, and her face looked soft and pale, despite the punkish attitude.

She was wearing an old looking tank top which was on the loose side, with some black design Max could not make out yet, and ripped blue jeans. Max could make out the black bra from the hole on the side, but it did not look like something fancy. More noticeable was the sleeve tattoo on her right arm, similar in design to the drawing on the walls with its green vines and red ribbons waving around her thin limb, the detailed skull, and the blue butterflies.

A punkish look, but Max did not really see that much fierceness in the girl, more like some angry mask she seemed to wear. _Probably a way for her to be taken seriously, seeing as no one would peg her for a trucker by how she looked!_

"Something you want to ask?" The voice was soft, the question a bit less, as the bluenette had obviously sensed her scrutiny.

Max pondered a moment before asking. "Where… 're you going?"

The girl shrugged. "The cargo in the trailer is going to Seattle, then I'm scheduled for some delivery in Arcadia Bay, Oregon." The two blue eyes turned to look at Max as the girl smiled. "That's where I'm based, so basically my terminus."

Max bit her lip at the mention of Seattle. She had not set foot in the Emerald City since the day her parents drove her down in exile to Fuckerville, California. Okay, the town's not called that but that's how it felt to her. She was not really eager to return there either, not wanting her parents to know she was still alive or even that she was back in town.

Seeing her former friends could have been an attracting thought, but she could not be sure they would still be living in Seattle, and given what had happened in the past few years, she doubted she would be welcomed with open arms.

She shifted in her seat again, discomfort starting to fill her body as the rush from the escape faded. Pain and soreness were starting to make their presence felt even more and she grunted softly as she tried to find a position that would not put too much strain on her bruises and her ribs.

 _What a shit day! I feel so sore and tired, the pain is getting worse and I'd die for a fucking cigarette, if inhaling didn't feel like someone was pressing a knife to my sides!_

She sighed, settling to watch the side of the road from the side window; not that she could see much in the growing darkness of this rainy evening. _It's just some fucking fields anyway, crops, vineyards, occasional trees, and some towns here and there…._

Soon, lulled by the passing scenery, she let exhaustion catch up and her eyes closed as she drifted to a light sleep.

* * *

The change of sound the engine produced as the truck slowed down woke her up. As she opened her eyes, she could see how dark the night had gone. She looked around, trying to see what was happening and noticed they were driving up a ramp.

"Where are we?" The question was asked in slight worried tone, as she feared the driver might have taken her somewhere bad during her moment of absence.

"Closing on Redding. We're leaving the I-5 and will rest at a nearby truck stop." The bluenette responded as she carefully worked the stick, downshifting to slow down. Each time, the truck whined audibly, much more than a simple downshifting should cause as far as Max' limited experience with motorized vehicle was concerned.

"Is there, a problem with the truck?" _Please let the truck be fine, I don't wanna be stranded like that! Not that I know where I'm going, either…_

"Uh? The truck is fine, why?"

"Well the sound is strange…"

The driver chuckled softly, still carefully looking at her mirrors as she stopped at the end of the ramp. She pushed a button on her wheel and then pushed a column switch up as she looked right and left. "Not used to being in a truck, right?" She asked, her voice the only sound beside the idling engine and the clicks of the blinker lights.

"No…"

"Well, trucks are hard to slow down and stop, because we are heavy, right?" The girl explained. "As it would actually use our brakes a lot, and also, unlike cars, we can't constantly press and release the pedal, we have some kind of braking systems your car doesn't." She shifted into gear and slowly let the truck move, air hissing out as the brake got released.

She maneuvered deftly, turning right as she kept going. "This truck's got two. Engine brake is what it means, we can control how much resistance we want the engine to offer by injecting air without gasoline, it forces the engine to act like a compressor, which obviously uses the energy the wheels gives back through the transmission. But we are closing to a city so; I can't really use that one 'cause it's loud as hell." She smiled as she slowly increased speed but seemed to prepare to take another right.

"The one you heard is the retarder. It's an electromagnetic brake that is placed on the transmission. When working, it makes the whining noise you heard. Not as effective as the engine brake, but it does the trick."

The truck slowly entered some large parking area where a dinner and gas station stood. The bluenette slowly drove it along the parked trucks taking an empty spot before coming to a stop. She then pulled on a yellow fob after putting the gearstick to its neutral position. She reached to another red fob and pulled it too, causing a loud hiss from behind. She flicked a few switches, turning the lights off outside but those in the cabin on, and then turned her key to stop the engine.

"There we are." She announced as she reached to unfasten her seatbelt. "There's a lever under the front of your seat that will let it turn. Can you move it to face the back?" She said as she stood and slipped toward the rear cabin.

"Why?"

The bluenette paused and looked at her. "Well, you promised to let me take care of your wounds. And it will make it easier for you to come to the back, where we have curtains, if you turn your seat." Her face turned all serious as she kept going. "I guess you'd rather not have the whole parking lot catch a show?"

Max sighed and with a groan leaned forward feeling for the lever. When she found it, she pulled on it and with a clank, she felt the seat being freed to rotate. She slowly moved it around, turning to face the back of the truck, finding the bluenette seated on the couch with a blanket and set of clothes.

She patted the couch beside her. "Come sit here, and take the first aid kit too, please."

As Max switched seats, she hesitated to take the gun she had left in the door's storage. She decided to leave it there, reaching in her sock for her knife.

The driver reached up and pulled the curtains separating the sleeper's cabin from the front close before returning to sit beside her. She sat the first aid kit on the small table after pulling it out slightly, and looked at Max. "Okay, mind taking the shirt off so I get a look at your arm?"

Max frowned, making a scene to flick the knife blade open and laying it on her thigh. "If you try any funny business, I'll fucking gut you!" She warned before she carefully pulled her blouse down her arm.

"I know…. I know…. And no, I'm not planning anything but tending to your wounds." The blunette's eyes just quickly glanced at her breasts when the fabric got pulled away before moving to her shoulder, and Max felt a bit relieved, although she did not relax.

"By the way, my name is Chloe. Chloe Price." The girl started as she reached to wipe the blood from her arm with a clean gauze. "Mind telling me your name? Would make it easier to talk."

Max bit her lip, feeling a sting in her arm as the girl cleaned her wound. She didn't want to give her her real name, that was certain, and the name she used these past years wasn't really one she could give either. She thought a moment before simply responding. "Sinead."

Chloe looked up at her, a slight frown on her face. "Okay… Sinead… Not that I think it's your name, but well." She shrugged. "It will do." She turned to the open box and pulled an antiseptic spray from it. "That's gonna sting like hell… just warning yah." She said.

And god did it sting! Max hissed loudly as she felt the spray hit the gash on her arm.

"So, care to tell me about you?" The girl continued as she reached for some clean compress and bandages. "No need to tell me your whole story if you don't want, but maybe you can tell me what happened to you? Like who beat you up like that."

The tone was rather harsh, and Max felt anger in the girl's voice. But the anger didn't seem to be directed at her. It sounded more like Chloe was angry at whoever hurt her. She hesitated a moment. She did not want to tell what she had been forced to do for these past few years.

 _Dog! I don't fucking want anyone to know I had to do that!_

The girl seemed to feel her unease though. "Hey, relax… You don't have to tell me squat if you don't want, okay?" She shrugged as she started wrapping the bandage around her arm. "And you don't have to feel ashamed of your past. One does what one has to do to survive." She shrugged. "I don't judge."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I'm not stupid enough not to have some idea of what you were doing… I mean, seriously? You definitely are not wearing enough clothing for the season, if you see what I mean, so …."

Max burst out, almost ripping her arm away from the girl. "Yeah? Well, I won't fucking do it anymore!"

She winced a bit as the trucker girl tightened her grip, not wanting to let the arm go as she was working on it. "Easy tiger! Not asking you! And if you want to quit that life, well I'm happy for you, okay? Now please don't move too much, I got limited supplies here and I can't afford to mess it up."

Max grunted as she tried to let the girl work. "I'm not doing that kind of thing anymore…." She whispered both to herself and the punk.


	4. Chapter 4 - Dealing with dickheads

**Dealing with dickheads**

"So, what happened?" Chloe asked as she kept working on the injured arm.

Sinead – and that was definitively not the girl's name as far as Chloe could tell – looked away before she simply responded with a grunt. "Had a disagreement with my previous employer."

Chloe smiled softly at the obvious reluctance her unexpected passenger showed about disclosing her story. "I can figure he probably wasn't happy with you wanting to quit, uh?"

"He never was really happy with me…" Sinead scoffed, "But this time, we both had enough… I think."

* * *

"I don't fucking care if you are gay or not! I don't fucking care at all!" Damon Merrick, her pimp, was screaming at her face while holding her by the throat, her back against the alley's wall, her feet three inches from the ground. "As long as anyone pays the cash, your lips will fucking suck any dick that presents itself! You will fucking spread your legs like the good little bitch you are and you will fucking moan and look like you're enjoying it!"

She had been caught, earlier that day, refusing to offer her service to some fat and sweaty trucker. It had not been the first time. She hated selling her body like that, especially to men, the very gender she had no attraction for and that she hated with all her guts. So, having no need for the cash, having saved enough for the Pimp's minimum cut, her rent and her expenses; she had sent the potential John away. But Merrick had seen it and he never liked how Max had felt like she had a choice. And that day, it had been one time too many.

"Why do you fucking care! I got your money anyway!" She croaked, her hands trying hard to pry the fingers that held her against the wall.

"You don't fucking understand!" the man screamed before tossing her to the ground. "If one … of my girls … refuses to put out… the customers … will go… elsewhere!" he said, spacing each statement by a kick directed at her flanks.

She had felt some her ribs crack, her belly turning sore as the air was kicked out of her. Had she gone too far?

The man was ranting madly. "I'll fucking teach you, bitch! No one messes with me! No one! And I had enough of your shit!" He grabbed her by the few long strands of hair she had and pulled her up against the wall again, and she felt something cold and metallic pressed to her stomach.

"You will fucking suck and pleasure any dick that comes and pays for your fucking ass! Or I swear I'll gut you! Do you understand me?!"

Her body was shivering, her eyes looking down at the gun pressed to her. The man was crazy, she knew it, and she knew he would do it, too – he had done it to another girl a few months before. She should have agreed to all of his words. It would have been the easy way to survive, the way she had done all these years.

But she hated the Johns. No matter what happened, no matter how kind they could be, for the four years she had sold herself, she had hated them more and more each day. And earlier that night, when she had decided to call it quit, she had known that she would never become straight and could never get used to that kind of life.

So she settled for the less safe option. She whined, reaching down toward her thigh, searching to reach something in the wool made sock.

"Do you fucking understand me?! I'll have you fucking gutted for every other whore like you to … ARRRRGGGGGHHH!"

She had reached in her sock and found her knife, a switchblade she had bought with the first bit of cash she had put aside as a way to push the too insistent and undesirable Johns away. She had flicked the blade open, the sound covered by the man's screaming. And she had plunged it in his crotch.

By reflex, Damon Merrick folded over as he squealed like a piglet, releasing both her hair and the gun as he pressed his hands to his impaled cock. She could have made a run there, but she doubted he would have let her go easily, and he was taller and didn't wear high-heels. Besides, payback is a bitch anyway.

She caught herself, standing up with her knife in her right hand, and taking some momentum, she kicked the man's face. Merrick collapsed, rolling on the floor with a grunt. And she followed through.

"I… FUCKING… HAD … ENOUGH! I... HATE… YOU… AND... YOUR … FUCKING… JOHNS!" She had screamed like a fury, kicking his face and his bleeding balls with each word, whichever was easier to hit, making the man wail and grunt in pain until he collapsed unconscious.

She reached down, picking up the gun as she heard heavy footsteps approaching. _Probably his goons! Time to get the fuck out of here, Max!_

Max kicked her shoes away and dashed.

* * *

Her escape had been a close thing. Derrick's goons, Sheldon and Pete, had cornered her in an alley not far from the truck stop. She was faster than them without her shoes, but in the end, even with the adrenaline pumping in her veins, her wounds were a definite burden.

After running a couple of blocks, her breath became ragged, erratic as searing pain accompanied every intake. She had to slow down, one arm cradling her chest, trying to lessen the strain. She could hear the steps behind her getting closer and she kept looking back to see how far they were.

The arms grabbing her roughly at a corner were totally unexpected. She had screamed and kicked, struggling against the hands that were tightly wrapped around her torso, pinning her arms along her body.

By the time she managed to free herself by suddenly crashing the back of her head into Pete's nose, gaining another bump in the process, Sheldon caught up with her.

The struggle that followed was still a blur in her head. She had stood there, gun pointed at them as she slowly backed up, but they were two and she was alone. She had been concentrating on Sheldon, when Pete had slammed her wrist with some piece of wood, sending the gun to the ground.

Sheldon had charged with his own knife, had caught her in the arm, leaving a long bleeding gash, but Max had her own blade and she stuck it to his thigh. She barely avoided the clubbing two by four Pete had been waving around as both men insulted her. They backed her up in a corner, trapping her. She would have been done for had they not messed up their timing. Sheldon had charged when Pete swung the piece of wood again. Max had just ducked, narrowly avoiding being clubbed on the head, and the two by four had kept its circular motion until it encountered Sheldon's face with a painful crushing sound.

The goon simply collapsed down without a word, and Pete had sworn loudly and turned to him for just an instant. It had been Max's chance, she kicked him in the balls and hit him on the back of the head with the hilt of her knife.

She had quickly picked up the gun again and ran for the Truck Stop, searching for a way out of this town.

She had known that at least Pete would be able to follow her soon. She had found the first trailer she could and with a grunt had unlocked the door before climbing in and hiding. She had not cared where the truck would be going, all she had wanted was out of here.

* * *

Chloe had the tip of her tongue between her lips as she worked cleaning and bandaging Sinead's wounds. The pink-haired girl had finally told her what had happened to give her those injuries.

It had not taken a genius to guess what line of work she had been into – _hello? Dressed like a slutty school girl with barely enough fabric to hide anything when it's barely 35°F? Of course she must be a hooker! –_ and Chloe had more or less figured it had been the cause of the wounds.

She never had a great view of those dealing in that particular business. Not that she held anything against the women themselves, at least not those she could see hanging out on the streets. She was just revolted at the men who encouraged it, either customers or pimps. Maybe it was the gay in her that prejudiced her against the men in this case, or maybe it was her own experiences she had with them. Either way, if any girl wanted out of this business, then Chloe would have hoped for her to manage, no matter what. But in Sinead's case, Chloe felt even more strongly about it, understanding how hard and difficult it would have been for the small gay girl to deal with it.

Learning that the girl she had rescued was gay had been a surprise. _Not like many lesbian are parading the streets dressed like a skanky school girl from a porn._ But she would certainly not be the one to criticize the pinkette. In fact, Chloe was rather glad the girl had called it quit with that part of her life.

She had laughed though, when the girl had told her how she got rid of her pimp - _Got what you deserved, you fucking creep! –_ even offering the girl a high-five with a "You go girl!" that was declined, though.

She listened to the rest of the story, trying not to let anger explode in her, as she finished bandaging the arm. When done, she sighed and looked at the girl with concern. "Okay, that should do it for now… But I fear you may need stitches."

Sinead jerked a bit, slight panic growing in her eyes. "Stitches mean doctors and questions!"

"Yeah I know, but you might not have a choice." Chloe shrugged and shifted on the couch. "Okay, let me check your ribs and abdomen. You got some bad bruises there…"

Of course, the girl did not look happy at the prospect of letting anyone touch her chest or her belly. "If you dare…"

"Easy! I'm just wanting to make sure you don't have badly broken ribs or internal bleeding, okay?" Chloe cut, hands raised in surrender. "It won't do you any good to get a broken rib piercing your lung, and if you bleed internally from those hits in your stomach… I need to get you to the nearest ER as soon as possible!"

Sinead grunted and relented, raising her arms slightly, not without a grimace. Chloe leaned forward and reached, softly probing the girl's side. She felt some of the ribs shifting unnaturally and she bit her lip. "Yeah, got one or two that are broken… doesn't look like they've been displaced much, but then again I'm not a doc…" She sighed and reached for a roll of bandages.

"I'm gonna strap your chest to prevent it from getting worse, but you'll have to see a doc check if it need to be set and all."

The pinkette groaned and rolled her eyes. "Fine…. I'll try to find one, not that I ever needed one before…"

Chloe rose and eyebrow. "Not your first beating?"

The girl stared back at her. "How do you figure?"

She shrugged dismissingly as she kept wrapping the bandage around the girl's chest, trying hard to ignore the softness of the skin, or the damned cute freckles she could see on the pale skin. "Yeah…. Well, just don't crap out on me okay?"

* * *

The tending of her wounds was definitively not the most comfortable moment of her life. However, it was not the worst one either. After all, it was still better to have your wound tended to than getting stabbed or beaten up, and it definitively was a far better than some of the things she had gone through in the past few years.

She had been annoyed that the girl, Chloe, had pushed and more or less figured what she had been doing for a living. Max had hated that way of surviving and she really would have preferred no one to know. _But then again, what did I expect people to think when I'm dressed for the job?_

The blue-haired girl had bandaged her arm, strapped her chest and felt her tender stomach. It had been painful as hell; especially the chest. Max had felt like her knife had been pushed into her ribs, and for the first time she was really considering asking to go to the nearest emergency room. At least they had pain killers!

Chloe had seemed relieved, not happy though, but relieved when she did not feel any hardening in her abdomen. _Guess I avoided the big bad internal bleeding again! Let's hope I don't pee red though… That had not been fun!_

The last part of the examination had been her feet. The driver had hesitated for a moment before asking Max to remove her socks by herself. At that point Max was glad for the request. It wasn't an easy thing to admit, but after so long at the mercy of men, the soft and caring touch of the girl had felt heavenly and Max had to fight hard not to blush.

She had removed all the items she had stuck into the white woolen socks. The cigarettes and lighter had not been a problem, nor had her keys – although she would never need those again. The condoms, though, had been embarrassing as hell when she had pulled the bunch from the inner thigh of her sock and tossed them in the small trash bag lying in a corner. Thankfully, Chloe had said nothing.

The last thing she had taken out was a small roll of cash. Not much, maybe 50 or 100 buck at best; but right now it was all she had left. Max grunted as she saw it. She never had the chance to go back to the apartment she had shared with another girl to retrieve her stuff. Not that she had much; a few clothes, a stash of cash, nothing of real importance in the end.

She had removed the socks and let the girl inspect the sole of her feet. _Thank Dog, there was nothing wong there, apart from a bit of abraded skin!_

Once the whole inspection had been done, the punk girl had pointed at the clothes on the small couch. "Feel free to use those if you want. I got a spare pair of shoes if you want, too. Would be big for you, but better than going bare foot, I guess."

She stood up and shifted back toward the front of the truck. "I'll let you get changed. Let me know if you need anything."

Max had been surprised. So surprised that she even forgot to stay angry and had only been able to mutter "Th… Thanks."

It wasn't much, as far as clothing could be. An old pair of jeans, too large for her but she could roll the legs up and pray for it not to slip down too much. An older black T-shirt with some faded out band logo, too tall too but still much more covering than her shirt and Max was glad for it. A pair of sport sockets, definitively warm and comfy.

Max slowly put the sockets on, then slipped her legs in the jeans. She was buttoning it up when she heard some kind of voice coming from a radio.

 _"Chloe? You there?"_

There was some movement in the front cabin, and then the driver's voice came up. "Yep Rach, I'm here. I just reached Redding and was about to call. Got that weather report?"

 _Who is she talking to? Weather report? Is it some kind of dispatch or anything? What if she mentions me?_

The voice came back with a bit of parasites. _"Yeah, it's not bad enough to close the pass yet, but it's definitively not the best conditions. Still heavy rain for now, but temperatures are falling quickly and they are expecting snow to come soon. Highway Patrols are recommending for trucks to stop at the rest area before the pass and wait for the situation to stabilize."_

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised there, you should see what's pouring here." There was a soft click, like a zippo being opened, and the sound of a lighter being flicked on before a deep sigh that was accompanied by the smell of tobacco. "What about the coastal road?"

 _"It's better, but not ideal either. No snow, but rain and wind are definitively there. You probably could pass, but you would have to take it easy, too."_

"Guess I have no choice."

 _"Sounds like it. How long do you think you would need to return to Arcadia Bay?"_

"Let me check."

Max could hear the key turn in the ignition, although the engine did not start. She heard the girl's hand moving, tapping on something – _probably the GPS_.

"We probably need to count a good nine hours at best, more likely ten."

There was a moment of silence then the radio returned with a different voice. _"Chloe, can you make it before you reach your time limit for the day?"_

"Hey boss. Didn't know you were there. It's hard to say." There was another pause. "I only drove four to five hours, had my twelve hours sleep before presenting myself for the loading, plus two more hours as I waited to be loaded."

 _"Means you're good for another 10 if needed?"_

"Yeah, but I'd rather avoid it by this weather." The voice sounded worried, not really comfortable with the question. "I'll do my best and take breaks, but if I feel tired or I reach the time limit, whichever comes first, I'm parking the rig and calling it a night."

 _"I'd like you to try and push it to Arcadia Bay tonight, if possible."_ The voice in the speaker sounded commanding, a tone and a sound of voice that suddenly felt familiar to Max.

"Listen Boss, I'm not taking any risk with that! Not even for you! You know why I don't, and you know it makes me your safest fucking driver! So don't! Because even if you order me to push it until I reach HQ, you know I won't do it!"

Max had finished slipping herself into the shirt and was about to step through the curtains when she heard the burst from the driver. What surprised her more was that through the anger that poured from the girl's voice, she could feel some undertone of sadness and fear.

 _"I know, Chloe… Sorry I even mentioned it. Do what you can though. If you can reach HQ before your mandatory stop, I'll have Elliot take over your trailer for the rest of the trip."_

Max quietly opened the curtain and moved to sit in the passenger seat again, looking at the driver as her blonde eyebrows dipped down.

"I thought Elliot was planned for a run to Minneapolis."

 _"Yeah well, it would allow us to get caught up on the lateness we already have on your cargo, and I need to get him on the road as fast as possible. You know how he is…"_

Chloe groaned. "Yeah, I do… You should fire the fucker."

 _"It's getting close to it, but still too complicated at the moment. Anyway, do what you can."_

"Will do, boss." The bluenette sighed as she leaned back in her seat, smoking a cigarette.

 _"Chloe? It's me again. Victoria went back to her office."_ The initial voice returned, but Max did not pay attention. She had been about to lit her own cigarette when she heard the name coming from the speaker, and she froze.

 _No! It can't fucking be!_ _Must be a coincidence!_

Shaking her head, she lit her cigarette and fought the memories that threatened to come back in her head.

"Care to tell what Elliot did to get banished in advance?" The punk driver asked with a chuckle.

 _"Not on the waves… I'll tell you when you get here."_

One thing Max was certain of: the voice responding sounded sad enough for whatever that Elliot had done to be pretty bad.


	5. Chapter 5 - Pulled Over

**A/N:**

 **Hey everyone! First I wanted to warn you all but I'll be slowing my output on all my stories. Sadly something I been dreading is starting to catch me up... Writer's block... I been struggling more and more in putting my ideas into words. In fact I've been stuck on the next chapter in my planning for over a week, and I got nowhere...**

 **I hope it get sorted soon, but I decided to take a breather and try to clear my mind a bit in order to help with the congestion.**

 **We'll see how it goes?**

 **Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter. And no I'm not quiting altogther. Just will take me longer to write chapters.**

* * *

 **Pulled over**

They only paused for half an hour, using the bathroom, grabbing some food and getting warm coffee. Chloe had offered to pay for the food, seeing that Max had very limited resources, but the pink-haired girl had wanted to owe the woman nothing more than she already did.

They returned to the truck after finishing their coffee and Max had the first real look at the truck's outside appearance.

It was actually a rather peculiar one too. The tractor unit had this old vintage look - _probably a 1980's or 1990's model maybe?_ – with it's two chrome chimneys aft and the two chrome Air Filter cases front of each of the doors. The color was hard to figure too, the darkness of the rainy evening made it look black, but the part that was under the lamppost seemed to shimmer from an electric blue to a pinkish black. Max wasn't sure, but that kind of paint work had to be custom designed.

As she got closer she could see the various decorations on the body too. On the front wheel fender, vines and ribbons intertwined together around a skull and some butterflies. The designed had looked familiar to her, but she had not been able to put it together until they came back in the cabin and she saw the same drawing tattooed on the arm of the driver.

On the side of the hood, pink Anarchy signs were place just in front of the air-filter cases, and something she figured was the company's motto was written in white cursive letters. On top of it, a blue butterfly, its wings looking like liquid, was displayed.

The tuck's door had a misfit skull painted on it above a company name and phone number. And on the side of the sleeper's cabin's side, she could distinguish the drawing of a cliff and a lighthouse. What amused Max even more was what she caught a glimpse of, on the back of the unit. Hidden by the trailer, a big white Jolly Roger flag was painted across the back wall of the truck.

 _Quite a fitting paintjob for the driver! Very punkish, very rebel!_

The trailer was more of a surprise though. Far from the usual very blend and boring designs, the trailer's walls and doors were painted with a shiny black color for the background. On the loading doors, a blue butterfly, different from the one on the hood of the tractor unit, was painted with under it the company's motto in white cursive letter again. On the side, she noticed the same blue butterfly aft of the trailer and a similar butterfly, but pink this time, at the front with in big cursive letter, the words 'Chase Freight Ltd' in shadowed white letters spreading between them.

 _That must be the company name. More and more looks like the Victoria from the CB is the one I know…_

Under the large words, in cursive letters, the company's motto, 'Our drivers are Chasing Time for your Freight', was once again spreading elegantly.

Following the driver, Max climbed back into the truck. It actually was harder this time; adrenaline had completely cleared her body and exhaustion had time settle too. Between the usual soreness and her wounds, she felt like her body had been ran over by the truck she was trying to climb into.

She had sighed with relief as she settled back into the surprisingly comfortable seat. _Guess it has to be seeing the people in trucks spent most of their life sitting into those._ She slowly buckled up while Chloe started the engine and made her verifications. _Looks much more complete than when you drive a car, too. What's she doing, checking every gauge like an airplane pilot?_

She put her elbow against the door's window and leaned her head on her fist as the truck slowly backed from its parking spot as the bluenette maneuvered to return on the roads. The engine was not that loud in the cabin, but still, Max could hear the whistle of the air being sucked into the air filters, the rumbling of the piston moving as the gasoline ignited.

Yet, the noise did not bother her that much. _Is it because I know it means I'm getting further away from that place?_

To Max's surprise, they did not reentered the freeway. Instead, Chloe steered toward the CA299 West toward Eureka. Unlike the earlier Interstate drive, the road was much more twisting and demanding, and the rumbling of the engine was often interrupted by the whines of the retarder brake, the deep roar of the engine brake, the hissing of the air brakes and clutch as the driver negotiated each turn, shifting gear to suit the road conditions.

As far as Max could tell, the girl at the wheel was used to driving on this road too. Each of her moves was prepared and swift as if it had been repeated so many times it had become automatic. She seemed to know exactly where to apply which brake, where to press on the gas pedal, where to down shift so as to prevent the heavy truck to roll down the hill too fast or to lose too much power when climbing uphill.

The bluenette's eyes were constantly checking her mirrors, especially while steering through a turn, checking to see if the trailer would hit something on its way. Max was impressed by how the girl managed her work.

That part of the drive was also pretty unnerving to her. She was not used to traveling into a semi-truck, heck she was not used to traveling at all, and the peculiar way of approaching a turn or a crossroad was scary at first. The way the truck would continue on its way for as long as it could, edging the very limit of the available surface, before it would turn more sharply than a car would, to then follow the edge of the embankment for a bit; confused the pink haired girl greatly at first. Several times, she had caught herself tensing hard as she thought the punk at the wheel would drive them off road.

But after a while, she got used to it.

They drove mostly in silence, barely talking – well more like Max was barely responding. Every now and then something in the cabin would beep loudly and a green led would lit up on a small box stuck against the windshield. The driver would cast a quick glance at it and then nothing would happen, the led would eventually turn off.

Despite her exhaustion, Max had a hard time sleeping on this part of the road, the constant turning; the changes of speed were making it hard. Which was a good thing in her mind – this way there would be no way the blue-haired girl to pull some shit on her.

About two to three hours later, the bluenette steered along a ramp toward the US-101 North. Max could see the girl pursing her lips as she checked the clock and the GPS monitor on the dashboard. _Were they making good time? Or were they running late?_ Max wasn't really sure. She was getting a bit bored to be honest.

Chloe reached for the radio and turned it on; using the straight line to spend a few seconds selecting the CD she wanted from the loader. Max winced a bit as she heard the opening notes of 'Highway to Hell'. She did not have anything against AC/DC, far from it, but this song at that particular moment was feeling weird. She was escaping from Hell after all, so she was not so keen on being on a highway toward it.

Nonetheless, she had to chuckle when the punk girl beside her started to bang her head and mutter the lyrics with the first refrain. She was not sure whether the girl was aware of doing it or not, or if she maybe was trying to cheer her up, but in the end Max started to relax too and enjoy the cruise as they drove along the 'Highway to Hell', 'Back in Black' and 'The Razor's Edge' albums.

* * *

Chloe had been bored for most of the drive on CA-299. Sure driving a truck never really gave lull unoccupied time, but when you do it in relative silence with a passenger that you knew nothing about? Well that was a different story.

The atmosphere had been heavy and Chloe wasn't sure what she could do or say to start a conversation. Besides, Sinead seemed very set on not sharing any more about herself than necessary. _A bit paranoiac , sure, but I can understand it._

When she steered toward US-101, she could not hold it anymore. She had to put some tunes! But what? Her passenger did have some kind of punk-rocker look so maybe some good classic rock? So she settled on the best she could think of and went on AC/DC.

She noticed Sinead's flinch at the first song and Chloe could have beaten herself up had she not felt the enjoyment of good music fill her body. She actually had not realized she was headbanging and singing along until the girl beside her chuckled. _Well suck it up! I'm a punk!_

She went along the way, the truck settling to its 50-55mph as they drove toward the Oregon border. She did ponder about a stop, but she was already tight on timing and felt she could drive a few more, maybe reach the border?

"Mind, if we keep going a bit longer?" she had asked softly during the intro riff of Thunderstruck.

"Is fine." The pinkette had simply responded with a shrug as she pulled a cigarette from her pocket and looked at her questioningly.

"Yeah. Go ahead." She simply said. "I don't usually smoke in the cabin, but I think we're past that point today." She smiled reaching for her own pack in the center console. "Light one up for me?"

The passenger looked cautiously at the pack before taking a cigarette in it. She lit it up and gave it back. "Thanks." Chloe smiled as she breathed the nicotine fix.

"Anyway, I'm sure I'll stop at some point on my own, but if you need to, just let me know."

And so, they kept driving. Miles went by as AC/DC was replaced by Metallica, then Nightwish; interrupted only by the occasional beep coming from the electronic weight station bypass system on her windshield. They took a short break to empty their bladder and refill on coffee at some small town's diner, but otherwise they kept going.

Chloe was glad, she was making good time. The traffic was quite clear, and despite the wind coming from the coast, the rain had lightened up which allowed her to relax. She did not get as hampered by the truck's load as usual too - the advantage of transporting light weight high volume electronics – and the truck did not lose too much momentum when going uphill.

The light of day had completely disappeared when the 'Welcome to Oregon' sign got caught in her head lights. She looked to her right as she cheerfully announced "Welcome to Oregon! I hope you didn't want to stay in California, because I'm not turning back!"

Sinead had been lost in her thought and her head jerked looking at her as she tried to catch up with the information. "What? … oh … yeah… no I'm fine with leaving California." She simply said. "

"I figured so, or you'd have told me to drop you off earlier." Chloe said with a smile. "Any particular wish for your destination? Coos Bay? Newport? Arcadia Bay? Or you prefer a much smaller town?" The bluenette frowned a moment. "Not that Arcadia Bay is that big…"

Sinead just shrugged beside her, shifting in her seat. "Not really… Never been to Oregon…"

Chloe shrugged. "Well, it's rather quie-"

As if to contradict her words, the small bypass box started to beep insistently. Chloe paused her words and checked it mechanically, noticing the red led was on. "Of course…" She mumbled as she flicked the right blicker lights on and engaged the retarders.

"What's the matter?" Sinead enquired with a rather anxious tone.

"Oh, nothing big. We're just pulled over for a weight control." The driver explained while slowing and engaging her rig on the ramp of the weight station area. "It's not unusual to get one here as we just crossed States' boundaries." She smiled reassuringly. "Kind of a customs' inspection."

"Customs? But I don't have ID!" The pinkette started to panic in her seat, her head jerking as she tried to look for some escape or danger.

"Chillax! It's not us that are being inspected, it's the truck. Well more exactly, the load." She shook her head as she slew down to a stop just before the weight station, waiting for the officer to wave her in. "There are taxes on freight that is usually based on weight. So they check it now and then to make sure it's in agreement with the weight we registered online."

She looked at her passenger, seeing her somewhat relax a bit. She did spot the butt of the gun in the door. "You may want to put that in the glove compartment though." She stated, pointing toward the weapon. "It might just be a routine check, but it's still done by State Police. No need to have them getting all curious. You know how cops get all hot and bothered when they see guns." She added, nodding to the Officer as he waved her in. She shifted into Low gear and let the truck crawls onto the scales.

She stopped the truck at the signal from the State Trooper and set the parking break, rolling her window down in case the man wanted to inspect more. The Officer looked at a tablet and seemed to ponder a moment before he came to the side of the tractor.

"Evening, Ma'am!" He saluted his hand reaching the rim of his hat to give it a small tug.

"Evening Officer. Need to see anything?" Chloe asked with a smile as she leaned out from the side window.

"Yes, could you show me your fuel log please?"

"Sure can!" Chloe nodded reaching to the overhead compartment for a small notepad. "Here you go."

The man checked the log and gave a curt nod. "You did not refuel and forgot to log it, Ma'am?"

Chloe shook her head; her fuel gauge still had not passed the half full mark so she had no reason to refuel. "Not since San Francisco. Why?"

"Well we have a slight discrepancy with the weight logged on your departure, even accounting for fuel consumption."

Chloe frowned a moment as she tried to figure it out. She suddenly chuckled as she asked. "Let me guess, about 110 to 120 pounds?"

"Yes Ma'am, 111 to be exact."

"Yeah, I figured it would be that." Chloe responded. "I picked up a girl who wanted to go to Newport. As it was on my way, I figured I'd give her a lift."

The Officer nodded. "Yeah that would do it. Although I see your cargo's for Seattle. Newport would not really be on your way."

Chloe smiled as she took the fuel log the Trooper offered back. "Well… They were late in loading me up in Frisco, and with the weather the Pass is more or less closed. As I had already quite some delay, my Boss figured I should try to swing by HQ, seeing as anyway I'd have to take the 101 to go around. She's planning to have another driver take over and save us the mandatory 10 hours rest stop I'd have to add to my travel time."

The Officer smiled. "Yeah sounds like a woman in a hurry."

"Ain't that righ!" The punk chuckled with him. "Need to check anything else?"

"Just your Service Log and we should be good."

"Righto!" The bluenette responded reaching for the corresponding notepad and handing it over.

The Officer checked his watch and compared it to the log before handing it back. "You're good to go. Just be mindful of your End of Service hour. You may not be cutting it pretty close."

"I'm aware. Already told my boss, I would stop if I felt sleepy or if I reached my EOS hour anyway. Wasn't happy with it, but well she can't do anything about it, right?"

"Not if she wants to keep her driver." The Officer acknowledged. "Anyway, have a good drive; be careful of the wind though, it's getting stronger between Carpenterville and Nesika Beach."

Chloe took her logbook back and nodded. "Will do and thanks for the tip. Have a good night guys."

The man tugged the rim of his hat again. "You too, Ma'am." Then took a couple step back waving her alone.

At his indication, Chloe released the parking brake and shifted the low gear again, letting the truck slowly move off the scales. She checked in her mirrors to make sure her trailer would not hit one of the cops or the concrete barriers on the sides. Once she cleared the scales she shifted into first and started to accelerate toward the road again.

She checked for traffic and inserted herself on the 101 again before turning to the pink-haired girl. "See? Not a problem!" She announced cheerfully, the passenger obviously relaxing in her seat.

"Yeah… I got worried when they came though."

"No reason to be. It's not unusual for truckers to pick up hitch-hikers." She followed the road, eyes sweeping to check for hazards. "Anyway, this validates my point about you not traveling in the trailer, right?" She smirked softly. "Even at your measly one eleven pounds, their scales did pick you up."

"I guess…" The girl grunted, probably not this happy to have her weight known to anyone. _Well she's like every girl I know on that point!_

"Anyway, we should be good till we get to Arcadia. My company's got a good record of compliance with regulations in general, and I have an even better one, so they rarely pull me over." She shrugged as she added, "Of course, random controls do happen."

* * *

Max finally relaxed when they crossed a sign welcoming them to a town named Pistol River. They had driven for a while by then, but she still feared that a cop would come after them after they saw that her driver had a passenger. But that did not happen and she could not stay on high alert all night long.

In fact, she was starting to struggle to keep her eyes opened. Even with the music and the engine's sounds, her nose started to dive as exhaustion caught up with her. _Well it HAS been a long day. And one can say what they want, but the regular sound of an engine is rather… soporific!_

She never really knew when she finally gave in to Morpheus' call, but quite a distance had gone by when she was suddenly woken up by a short burst from a Police's siren. Her head jerked up quickly at the sound and she started to look around like a surricate searching for the predator.

All she could see was that they were leaving a middle sized town, maybe a small city, and the sign said 'Newport'.

The girl at the wheel just sighed, rolling her eyes as she mumbled something about someone enjoying his job way too much. She set the blinker lights and started to pull the truck over to the side, stopping on a small rest area.

Max craned her neck, trying to see what was going on and she spotted a dark blue, maybe black, SUV with gold lines and a sheriff star on the side over take them and park just in front of them, its flashing lights blinking in the night.

The driver must have noticed she was awake because she smiled at her. "Had a good sleep?"

"What's happening?" She asked warily.

"Just someone checking up on me. Don't worry." The blunette responded as she flicked the hazard lights on and shut the engines off.

In front of them a man with broad muscular shoulders stepped out of the police car and put a hat on his head before he walked toward the driver's side of the truck. Chloe, just popped the door open and called. "May I help you Officer?"

The response came with a gruff voice, more a grunt than words, although it did sound friendly. "Don't be a smartass, Chloe."

The girl in the driver's seat rolled her eyes. "Well just asking, 'cause every single time I drive by, you pull me over."

Max started to wonder what was happening. Did the cop have something against the driver? Could it get her into trouble as well?

"Well, one got to make sure you are toeing the line." The man responded jokingly.

Chloe rolled her eyes with a groan, but she did chuckle a bit. "Cut the crap David, you know I'm the most law and regulation abiding commercial driver in the States."

 _Wait they are on first name basis? What the hell is going on?!_

"I know, I know. And you got reasons to be too, but that's rather comforting to me and your mom anyway." Max could see the man standing by the door, his head about at the driver's seat's level. "Anyway, your mom heard you would be passing in town tonight and she wanted me to ask you to pass by the house."

Chloe chuckled softly. "Yeah, like she doesn't get you to ask me to do it every time!" She shook her head pleasantly. "I'll try, if I can actually reach town. I'm getting close to my EOS time so I dunno if I'll reach it before I got to call it a day." The girl paused a moment. "Actually, could you ask mom to get my old room ready?"

The man frowned a bit. "Going to spend the night?"

The blue-haired girl shrugged. "Maybe… I dunno… That or my passenger may need a bed for the night."

"And why don't you take her to your place?"

"Come on, dude! You know Rachel will kill me if I bring another stray home!"

Max got rather confused, was the girl trying to get her a place to sleep? Why would she? But by the sound of it, it seemed the driver was used to bringing passengers home, maybe lost people in need of a place to rest for the night? _Who knows, might also be a code for 'prepare the sex dungeons, we got fresh meat!'_

"And you think it's better to have them in my house?" The man enquired, although his tone was light.

"Well, first it's mom's house, not yours. Second, it's not like you'll be at risk. I mean former Marine cop with gun and all? What you think the people I pick up could do to you?"

The man raised a hand in surrender. "Fine! Fine! I'll tell Joyce. But only because this will make sure you stop by." Despite the reluctant tone, Max could see the smile from where she was. "Where did you pick that one? Don't tell me it's another of those hippies! Can't have another person high on grass at home!"

"Nah, just found her in Sacramento… Got no place to go for now, so just thought she'd rather get a good bed rather than sleep on a bench, you know."

"And what do I run a motel now?"

Chloe shook her head. "Come on, don't be a sour puss."

"Okay. I won't this time… But only because you 're close to EOS and your mom would kick me in the balls if you could not make it home because of me."

"Thanks David. I'll see you home." Chloe said with a smile.

"See that you do!" He took a step back from the door before adding. "And be careful. You know your mom worries about you driving this thing."

"I know." Chloe said, her face turning a bit sad for a second or two. "Now please move your toilet mint out of the way please?"

"Hey! My car is clean, thank you very much!"

"Well it's small and it's blue!" Chloe scoffed. "No, really, I'm joking. I know you did not choose the color."

The man shook his head as he pushed the door close. Max watched him walk back toward the SUV. He was boarding the vehicle when she turned and looked at the truck driver with a frown. "Your dad is a cop?"

"Not my dad." The girl snapped back automatically. "Sorry… He's my mom's husband… My dad died about ten years ago."

"Oh…" She watched in silence as the SUV's roof light turned off and the car slowly drove away. She heard Chloe moving and the hiss of the truck's brake being released. "Does he pull you over like that all the time?"

The bluenette beamed as she sped the truck on the road again. "Well, it's the most effective way my mom found to make sure I get a message… After all, can't really refuse to pull over, eh?"

"I guess so..." Max settled back in her seat. They drove in silence for a moment before she spoke again.

"There was no need to ask him to host me for the night…"

Chloe turned her head briefly, glancing at the girl before shrugging. "It's okay… not like it would be a first, nor bother them much. Unless, you're a psychopath killer?"

"Could be… but no…" Max looked at the night scenery through the side window. "Still, I can handle myself. I don't need your charity."

She could see the reflection of the bluenette biting her lip on the glass before she responded. "Well I guess you can… But nothing wrong with being helpful. Besides, do you have anywhere else to go?"

She had to admit the girl had a point. Max did not know anyone at their destination. Hell she barely knew anyone in the whole State of Oregon! None that she would go and ask for help from anyway. She made a sound halfway between a grunt and sigh and kept looking at the road. _At least, it beats sleeping in an alley somewhere….And I can still sleep with my blade close, just in case._


	6. Chapter 6 - Welcome to Arcadia Bay

**A/N:**

 **Okay After nearly a full month! I finally gave birth to something I'm not too unhappy about... The end of a block? Not sure...**

* * *

 **Welcome to Arcadia Bay**

The drive had been long and she was glad to be reaching its end. Further down the road she could finally distinguish the sign indicating she was reaching Newport, the last big town before she reached Arcadia Bay.

Chloe checked the clock on her dashboard and nodded to herself, reaching over head for the CB. Casting a quick glance at her passenger and confirming the girl was still asleep, she turned the volume down before taking the mike.

"Yo Rachel? Still there?"

A tired voice responded. _"Yeah, was waiting to see if you'd be home tonight before I called it. And why are you whispering?"_

Chloe smirked a bit as she quickly dismissed the question. "Long story. Anyway, I'm just entering Newport, which means I should make it to HQ in around thirty to forty minutes top."

 _"Cool! I'll wait for you then… Wait, you're going through Newport? You know what it means right?"_

"Yeah, I know, I'll probably be pulled over. But I'm close to my time limit so I guess he won't hold me long. Besides, it's nice to be loved right?"

A chuckle responded softly through the speaker. _"Should I plan to have dinner at your mom's?"_

Chloe pondered a moment. "Yeah, probably a good idea."

 _"Fine, but only because you're twisting my arm!"_

The punk driver could hear the humor in her girlfriend's voice. "Yeah sure…. As if I had to force you to come eat my mom's cooking. Would be much more believable if I didn't see your saliva already drool from the speakers." She took time to chuckle a bit, eyes shifting quickly to the pink haired girl that stirred a bit in the passenger's seat. "On a completely different topic… Could you see if Kate can be there for a check-up when I arrive?"

There was a pause before the girl on the other side of the waves responded. _"I could ask, but it's pretty late. Why? You got hurt or something?"_

"Yeah… or something…" Chloe responded wincing a bit at the lie. _Can't really tell her it's for a passenger I'm not supposed to have… She'll get pissed at me again._

 _"Chloe…. Don't tell me you did it again…."_

 _And there it is…_ Chloe sighed. "Rach… please…"

 _"Fine… We'll talk about it when you're not driving… But whoever you picked up will not be sleeping on the couch. Find another solution."_

"Will do. Thanks."

 _"Yeah, yeah… Just get your ass up here!"_

Chloe smirked softly. "Working on it… Love yah!"

She hung the mike back in place, checking to see if maybe she woke her passenger back. She felt a bit guilty about making sure the girl was asleep before she asked Rachel to contact the closest thing they had to a doctor without being one; but at the same time, the gash on the girl's arm and the bruises on her torso and belly had been in the back of her mind all the way since Redding, like a nagging nail.

She looked ahead, noticing a traffic light going to yellow, and started to slow down, stopping as the light turned red in front of her. _Yeah, go figure…_

She waited, rain falling on her windshield again, looking as no car or truck or whatever came from the crossing road. _Thank you Murphy!_ As the light turned green, she shifted into first gear and released the brakes. At the same moment she heard the so familiar hiss of the air pressure dropping in the brake lines, a groan could be heard as the passenger on her right shifted again, although she doubted it came from the noise.

 _She's been agitated like that since she fell asleep… I wonder if her injuries are annoying her, or is it nightmares? Not sure I wanna know what turned a cute girl like her in the panicked doe she's been so far though._

She was finishing her train of thoughts as the truck was about to exit the city. _Any minute now…. And there he is!_ As if on cue, Chloe spotted blue and red flashlights turning on in her mirror with a car's headlight and just after a short bust came from the police car's siren, jerking the sleeping passenger out of her slumber.

* * *

Max had her eyes looking at the darkness outside the truck's window, trying to ignore the boredom. They had left Newport a good half an hour ago, and the road had been smooth, but with the lack of sunlight and the cloudy and rainy weather, there was no real landscape to look at and enjoy.

Still, she found some solace in it. _Seems like the weather is feeling like me…. Dark, gloomy and sad._ It was not some new feeling for her. She had often felt depressed in the past years. _Yeah well, anything short of suicidal is an improvement, I guess. Still…_

The driver had remained silent most of the way, concentrating on the last stretch of road she had to drive. But Max could feel something was bothering the bluenette. The girl was tapping her fingers nervously on the wheel and her eyes kept shifting toward her; as if she was planning something she feared Max would not like.

 _And that is a definitive red flag for me…. Maybe I really should bail whenever I get the chance..._

Max was mulling the thought, weighting pros and cons, deciding whether she should change back in her messy clothes – _if one could call it that –_ or keep those she was currently wearing.

That last part had started to bother her more and more as they were about to reach their destination. Keeping the clothes the punk girl had lend her felt wrong to her, like they implied some sort of acceptance of the girl's help. Of course, Max figured she could just hightail it with them on the back if she wanted, but wouldn't that be robbery?

While Max had no real qualms about stealing something whenever she really had to – like stealing food when she had been starving – she did not like doing it, especially when she had a choice. _Even if the choice is being dressed like the star actress of a porn movie involving a slutty girl and the whole highschool football team._

She had not really reached a consensus when the lights of a small town started to pierce the gloomy darkness. Before long, the rainy night was pushed back, as if held outside a small pocket of life created by street lamps and neon signs, while the trailer truck drove by an old sign displaying a lighthouse shining over painted words.

"Welcome to Arcadia Bay!" The driver announced as if reading the words. "Small Town, Oregon, capital of backwater country!"

The snarky description made Max chuckle a bit, probably the only cheerful sounds she made since Sacramento, and she shook her head. "Probably isn't that bad…"

"Well, true… It's quiet, there's work for me and the diner's making the best damned waffle in the world!" Chloe shrugged. "You may see for yourself if you stick around."

"Maybe…"

"Anyway, not like I got to spend my whole time here, being on the road and all…" She sighed a bit as she slowed down to turn left toward a road that seemed to get closer to the coast. "Besides, it's a shit town, but… it's still the town I grew up in…"

"Probably why it's shitty…" Max mumbled lightly as she gazed out the side window.

"Really? Snark and sass? After all I did for you?" Chloe retorted with a smile. "You're lucky you're hurt or I'd slap you silly, dork!"

Max remained silent, keeping her distance. _Not gonna be her friend, not gonna stick around anyway._

"Anyway, I spent years trying to get out of this place, but no matter what, I still feel like coming back now and then…" The punk kept talking, looking outside as they quickly reach what looked like an old port area, although ships were few and a lot of the hangar seemed abandoned.

The truck slowed further down and stopped by the gate leading to what looked like the best maintained lot of the area. They remained silent for a few seconds as the trucker girl watched the gates opening slowly, and as she started to pull her truck inside the enclosure she asked. "What about you? Have a place you feel like returning to someday?"

The response came back quickly, short and to the point. "No."

Max' tone had been frank, hoping to put an end to the discussion. She had caught herself starting to create a bond with the girl, and she did not want that at the moment. She just watched as the truck drove slowly, passing by a few trailers parked along some small docking area on the side of a hangar.

 _Yeah, I really got to bail…_

* * *

Chloe raised an eyebrow with a slight surprise at the snappish response. She had some experience with lost people, she had picked a few on her trips, but it was the first time someone sounded so decisive when claiming to have nowhere to go back to.

 _Hell, even that runaway teen thought her shitty child abusing parents where still a place she could return to! She fucking nearly did too… Thank God Rachel had talked to her dad!_

She chose not to press the matter, though, concentrating on positioning her truck. She stopped by the docks, pulling the parking brake stud as she shifted in neutral. Unbuckling her belt, she opened the door and quickly stepped out, taking a look at the area.

She mentally filed where every truck, every trailer were parked in relation to her own. Drawing a map in her head, she started to visualize where she would have to put the wheels of her trailer at which moment for it to move where she wanted, as she wanted.

With a curt nod to herself she climbed back in the cabin and closed the door. Releasing the brakes, she flipped the thumb switch back on the gear stick, making sure the front switch was on its lower setting before she moved the lever in the front left position. Backing beeps started to ring from outside and slowly; she started to release the clutch while giving a bit of gas.

She backed her truck carefully, checking in both her mirrors that the trailer was following her planned course as it crawled back. Her hands moved smoothly on the wheel, stirring the tractor unit so as to push the trailer the right way, then stirring back to align both as she drove the last few inches back.

 _Nailed it!_

With a satisfied smile, she returned the shifter to neutral and pulled the parking brake fob, then reached further and pull the trailer emergency valve fob, cutting the air supplied to the trailer's brakes. Finally she turned her key, shutting down the engine, and opened her door.

"Please stay in the cabin for now. Not really safe to walk around as I do this." She said as she started to step down. "Oh and please don't touch anything on the dashboard. I'd like to avoid being pancaked between the trailer and the truck." She added after a short pause, smirking humorously.

Taking the work gloves from the door compartment, Chloe closed her door and went to the trailer's stand, removing the safety pin from the crankshaft.

"Row row row your boat…" She started to sing to herself, switching quickly to soft whistling as she never could remember the lyrics, while she started to turn the lever around, slowly making the two square legs move down to the ground.

Re-securing the crankshaft, she moved to climb between the trailer and the back of her cabin and disconnected the power line and the air-hoses from the trailer, making sure to tie them to their designated resting rack. She jumped down and reached under the trailer. Checking once last time that the trailer's legs were well footed to the ground, she reached for the fifth wheel and, after removing the safety, pulled on the handle to open the coupling.

As she returned to the cabin, preparing to pull her truck away from the trailer, she frowned in surprise as she found the passenger's seat empty.

"Sinead? Still there?"

"Yeah, just found best to get away from the dashboard." The voice grunted from the sleeping area.

As she sat down on her seat, she noticed the closed partition curtains. "You okay?"

"Yeah… I'm fine." The voice was strained and she could hear some shifting behind the drapes. She bit her lip, pondering about checking on the girl, but decided she'd rather not risk upsetting her.

"You better sit down, I'm gonna move the truck." She warned, slipping the key in the ignition and starting the engine again.

Shifting into gear, she slowly let the truck crawl forward, very slowly pulling away from the trailer. The sound of the fifth wheel sliding under its counter-part resonated in the cabin and Chloe checked in the mirrors to make sure no catastrophe was occurring.

Finally cleared from the trailer, she sped up a little and drove toward another parking space, stopping the truck beside an expensive red sports car.

"Okay here we are. I gotta go file some papers. Wanna come have a coffee, maybe use the bathroom?"

She cut the engine off, reaching for her log books and opened her door.

"I'll be right there." The voice responded, although Chloe could distinguish a hint of oddness. Not wishing to push, she shrugged and left the truck. Pausing to lit up a cigarette, she sighed and started to walk toward the building before she spotted Rachel walking toward her.

 _I'm so screwed!_

With a smirk she waved her hand at the blonde. "Hey Rach!" But as she feared the greeting did not sooth the somber face of the girl approaching.

"You did it again, didn't you?" The blonde said as she stopped crossing her eyes. "So where is he? Or is it a she?"

"What do you mean Rach?" Chloe responded, trying to stall the interrogation.

"The stray! The person you picked up on the side of the road and for whom you're going to ask Kate to work after hours free of charge, who will surely be living on our couch for the next three to six months before you finally see the light and send them packing!"

Rachel's voice was slowly rising in intensity as she went on with her words, waving around as she tried to make her point.

"I'm not going to ask Kate do it for free! I'll pay for it! And I did as you asked; I found her another place to rest for a while."

"Oh, you will pay? Like you paid for all the others? And with what money, Chloe?! We're barely making ends meet! And what other solution, huh? You're gonna have her sleep at your mom's for a few days? And then what? Where will she go when your parents gets tired of having another drug addict or lazy bum living on their sofa? You know you won't let her back on the street! I bet it won't take two days before I find another lost soul on my couch! Two days before I got to watch over and deal with another wreck while you are away, as always, on your fucking trips, leaving me alone!"

Chloe could see the tears in the girl's eyes as she vented her frustration. She wanted to reach and hug her girlfriend, to sooth her; but she never really knew how to pull back, how to absorb a fight and let it go. So, she ended up doing what she always did best. She snapped back.

"Hey ! It's my job, okay? I can't help it if it requires me to be away for a few days in a row! Besides, it's actually making us hella cash! And you know you could come with me… it's like a road trip, like we did before! It's you who decided not to come anymore."

The blonde shook her head grunting with frustration. "I can't take it anymore, Chloe! I'm tired of all this, tired of seeing you leave for days, tired of being bored and alone, tired of seeing you come back with yet another stray, tired of you dumping that stray on our couch for months!" Her voice started to die out. "I can't deal with it, I can't…"

The blonde's shoulder dropped as if a heavy load had suddenly been let loose and Chloe looked at her as she tried to catch up with what Rachel meant.

"What… What are you saying? Babe… what …"

Rachel closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I – "

Before she could speak, a voice rose from beside the truck.

"You don't have to."

* * *

She had made her decision. She would get away as soon as she could. Part of her had been kind of touched that a stranger would propose to help her like that, taking care of her wounds, giving her food and clothes, even offering her a place to sleep. But after so much disappointment, so many experiences where help turned into just another need to escape, another beating, another abuse; Max was just unable to feel anything but wariness.

 _Yeah, I'm calling it quit before she pulls me into some shit! No way I'm returning to work on the streets! And no fucking way do I end up locked in a room for her and her friends to play with!_

She had started to change back in her clothes – well the pieces of fabric that at least did not make her walk around fully naked and that had not been given to her by someone who may ask for payment at some point – when she had to sit down again to let the punk driver move the truck.

She sat there in the sleeper cab, only wearing her panties, socks and skirt as she held herself on the couch, dreading for the curtains to swing open. _It's okay, we're moving so no one's gonna get in._

Once the truck stopped and after the driver left –at least after she seemed to leave – Max tensed up, reaching for her switchblade as she waited for something to happen. She sat there, her chest bare to all eyes –thank dog there were none – expecting to see someone surge in the sleeping area. Her mind was not fully set on the threat either, expecting either the bluenette girl and maybe her girlfriend to come and try to pin her down, or even a few fat sweaty and filthy trucker she would have been offered to.

But nothing happened. No sound but the beating of her own heart. Until, the muffled sound of two women discussing close to the truck broke the silence. She frowned, trying to distinguish what was being said as she slowly slipped her arms in her blouse again.

She was putting the final touches to her clothes, not that there was much to add, when the voice started to get louder, the one similar to the girl she had heard on the radio starting to vent.

 _Sounds like someone's in trouble…. Guess I was right to call it quit…_

She finished buttoning her blouse, finding it odd as she never used them before, and started gathering her stuff. Her cigarettes and lighter went back in the outside of her left sock, the bit of cash she had quickly finding its way into along her inner thigh in her right sock. She folded her knife again, hesitating a moment before she slipped it in her right sock, easily reachable if needed.

She stepped from the sleeper-cap, opening the curtains, and went for the passenger door. She paused a moment and reached in the glove compartment for the gun, taking it and slipping it in the back of her skirt, pulling her blouse over it. _Probably not really hiding it much… I'll have to find some jacket or something._

Max turned her head back to the hoodie she had left on the couch, biting her lip a moment. _Should I take it too? I'm taking the shoes, so… No… Do not owe her more than you really need!_

She opened the door and carefully climbed down to the ground, shivering in the cold night breeze, feeling the soft drizzle, not really rain but not really fog either, dampening her skin and clothes.

As she slowly walked around the front of the truck, she could hear the painful words and she winced as she realized what was going to happen. _Shit, she tried to help me and she's gonna get dumped…_

Without thinking, she raised her voice, interrupting the couple. "You don't have to."

As both girls turned their heads toward her, shock in their eyes as they realized she had heard their discussion. The shock quickly gave way to some worry in the bluenette's eyes while the blonde's thinned in a more disapproving expression Max had been way too used to by now.

"What do-" Chloe began, but Max quickly cut her off.

"I mean, you won't have to deal with me." She shook her head before looking at the bluenette. "Listen… I appreciate the help you gave me, and I'm truly grateful that you didn't dump my ass on that parking lot. And yeah, I was surprised that you did not push for some… 'favors' either. But don't go breaking your relationship just to help me. Not worth the trouble…" She shrugged as she started to turn away. "Besides, it's not the first time I'm on the streets like that. I can handle myself, don't worry."

"Sinead, wait…" Chloe started, but Max shook her head.

"Nah, stay there and salvage your relationship. Thanks again and cya around." She finished with a short shrug. She started to walk toward the large gates only to freeze as she found herself face to face with a pixie blonde wearing what looked like an expensive tailored suit.

"Maxine?"


	7. Chapter 7 - Chasing Max

**A/N:**

 **and another story chapter! I'm 2 for 2 weeks... damned I can write again, so happy!**

 **I hope you enjoy this one!**

* * *

 **Chasing Max**

Victoria Prescott-Chase, CEO of Chase Freight Ltd and, for now at least, wife of Nathan Prescott, son of the billionaire businessman Sean Prescott, had been, once again, staying overnight in her office. Officially, she was waiting for an important freight to be transshipped as fast as possible. Officiously, any minute spent in the office was one she did not have to spend home, with the risk of having to see her husband or his family.

 _Yeah, well… There is a bigger chance of Sean showing up, begging for a grandson, than Nathan._

Victoria had never made any mystery of her lack of love for her husband, and had she had any choice to begin with, she would not have married him. Sadly, her parents had decided otherwise, hoping to merge their business with the Prescott's.

 _That and avoid the scandal of their heiress being gay!_

She had known Nathan Prescott for years, their families being close, but she had never thought of him like that. She had never thought her parents would pack her bags and marry her straight out of highschool, either.

This was what had finally defined Victoria as she was now. Having been denied a chance at a college degree through the standard methods, she had spent her time as a 'housewife' getting it through online course. And to stick it to those who had tried to bring her down, she had done it in only two and half years. She was a self-made woman, refusing to be brought down by others, refusing to see her life decided by others.

Having been cast down, dismissed as a woman, judged by her parents as nothing more than a tradable good; she had created her own company, hiring competent and independent women to work in a field where men were the norm. In a way, she had been rebelling against the establishment, proving that gender did not make anyone better or worse.

And it had worked. In fact, it worked so well she had been strapped for drivers. To the point she could not afford to kick her one bad apple through the door, preferably with that last one still closed for more effect, however much she wanted to.

 _That and I'd probably get Sean and Nathan screaming bloody hell if I dared to fire Nathan's frat bro!_

She sighed. Eliot had been trouble since day one. Actually hired by Nathan in the Prescott freight company, the guy had been such a problematic driver that Sean had been eager to let Victoria start her own company, provided she took the employee.

 _It had seemed like a good idea back then… Got the husband and his dad off my back for refusing to be just a trophy wife. I did not know how bad he was._

The truth was that her problematic driver saw women as only one thing: fuck toys he could play with whenever he wanted. It had ended badly a few times too, a few fight having been started because of it. And more than once, it had him finishing with a few injuries he dared not explain too. But he never seemed to learn.

"Oh well… Chloe's arrived… Just need to get the paperwork sorted, and send his ass up North for a couple of days!" She muttered to herself. At the thought, she looked up at the window of her office, checking what her problematic driver was up to, and growled as she noticed him hitting on a small blonde with her hair tied in a tight bun.

 _Yeah, I need his ass gone fast!_

She stood up, anger starting to boil in her veins as she opened her office's door. "Eliot! Your trailer is here! Get your ass into gear and go hitch your truck!"

The frat boy turned his head and growled, not happy to see his attempt interrupted. "What's the rush? I'm talking to Kate. Besides, Chloe hasn't given me the manifest yet."

Victoria had to stomp on her nerves, fighting the urge to physically throttle him. "The rush is that the cargo has already been delayed enough! Go get your truck ready!"

Eliot looked at her with a smirk. "Or what? You're gonna fire me? Wonder what Nathan would say about that."

Victoria clenched her fists, her eyes turning cold as she called loudly. "FRANK!"

At the name, Eliot stiffened and raised his hands in surrender. "Fine! I'm going!" He started to walk away mumbling to himself. "No wonder her husband cheats on her…."

She watched him leave, growling to herself as she pondered about letting her Mechanics loose on him – god knew the men had wanted to, after what he did earlier that day. As if on cue, the blonde mechanic with his tattoos and his beard showed his head through the door leading to the garage. "You called, boss?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Eliot needed some encouragement." She paused a moment before adding. "Make sure he actually is getting his truck ready instead of harassing girls again."

His blue eyes thinned and his lips curved up with a predatory grin as he left. "No problem, boss!"

Victoria turned toward Kate with a sigh. "Sorry about that."

The smaller blonde smiled and waved a hand. "No worry, Victoria. You know, I don't really care about him."

"Yeah… I know… I'm more worried about him caring a bit too much about you, honestly." She pinched the bridge of her nose for a minute. "Anyway, what brings you here this late? Did something happen with Dana?"

Kate smiled warmly. "Oh no, Dana's fine. I gave her a sedative and she's resting on my foldout couch. I came because Chloe asked."

"She did?" Victoria sighed, rolling her eyes. "Of course, she did… And I wondered what had upset Rachel." She shrugged. "Oh well, can you wait in my office? I'll go get our favorite punk and her stray."

Her heels clacking on the ground, she walked with a fast pace through the building, heading toward the parking, pursing her lips as she pondered for what seemed the hundredth time about the need to get a new driver so she could get rid of her dead weight. She had barely left the building when she heard the raising voices of her driver and Rachel fighting.

 _I suppose Chloe did pick another stray…._

She turned the corner, preparing herself to cut the fight short, only to find herself facing a scantily clad woman with pink hair and bruises on her face. The initial confusion quickly wore off as she noticed the deep blue eyes, the familiar freckles.

 _It can't be!_

She froze for seconds, her mind hesitating as she recognized the woman standing in front of her. A woman she had not seen in years. A woman who had been torn away from her, and whom she thought she would never see again.

"Maxine?" The word erupted from her lips before she even thought about it, as sudden as her realization, and she saw the blue eyes widening in shock as they met hers.

* * *

"Maxine?"

The voice was all too familiar, a ghost from her past, a voice she still heard as a flicker of hope for this world, the last bit of warmth she ever felt before falling in the coldness of a cruel world. She froze, unable to move, unable to respond or even breath, as she faced the blonde young woman in her tailored suit.

 _I should have known! I should have fucking figured it out from the voice on the radio, the name on the side of the truck!_

But she had not. Something in her had not wanted to even think of this possibility, even if every hint had been there. She had been glad to dismiss her suspicions, not wanting to face them.

And now, here she stood, right in front of her, the living proof that her life had not always been dipped in shit, the very reason she had fallen from grace.

Victoria Chase, heiress to the Chase family, former classmate from Max' former life in Seattle, and Max' only experience at a relationship.

* * *

"I can't believe it!" Her father had yelled as he finally joined her in the living room, and Maxine had sunk in the couch she had been tossed into. She had never seen her father like that, so furious, so upset.

It was on her eighteenth birthday, she had spent the day with her best friend and her girlfriend, Victoria. Her father had found them as they sat in the blonde's car, about to kiss goodbye for the day, and he had literally yanked her out of the car.

He had not said a single word, just grabbed her and thrown her to one of her uncles, and she had been dragged into the house, crying and screaming, while he stayed behind to talk with Victoria.

She had been left to wait his return, anxious, panicked, and scared. And his first words to her had been so loud, the room had shuddered around her.

"Dad… I …" she had started, trying to apologize, only to be interrupted as his right hand smacked strongly across her face.

"SHUT UP, YOU WHORE!"

She had flinched. Hearing her loving father call her a whore had hurt more than she ever thought could be possible, more than the pain spreading through her cheek, or the slight burn in her cracked lip.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE you would do that to our family! That you would whore yourself like that and commit such a sin!" He bellowed, pacing the room.

"Dad… I'm sorry… I didn't mean it… I…"

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

* * *

For a moment, she swore she could hear her father's voice, his threats, and feel his strong hands as they manhandled her and slapped her again.

"Maxine? Is... Is that you?"

The question pulled her out from her thoughts. She tensed, her eyes darting around, searching an escape, a way to get out of this situation. As her eyes moved across the bluenette's face, she also noted the confusion, maybe a hint of wariness too.

 _Yep… Guess the fake name will bite me in the ass!_

She felt exhausted, tired as she never had been, facing one problem after another. And, she did not want to face this one. She was not ready to face someone from her past. But before she had a chance to try and run for it, Victoria had closed the distance between them and snagged the pinkette into a crushing bear hug, burying her face in the girl's neck.

The shock and pressure from the hug made Max grunt loudly as her wounds flared with pain. _Holy FUCK!_

Thankfully, the blonde seemed to notice the discomfort as she eased back, holding her back as she scanned her face, her clothing. "Oh my god, Maxine! What happened to you? Where have you been all this time?! I've been so worried! We all were!" Tears started to show in the blonde's eyes. "I thought… I thought you were dead!"

Max regained her composure, brushing the shock of the meeting away, she swiftly moved a hand, swiping Victoria's arm away to break the contact as she scoffed. "Like you really cared."

Shock was visible on the blonde's face as she tried to match the shy hipster Irish girl from her memories with woman standing in front of her. She moved a hand, trying to reach for Max only to see it swatted away. "Maxine…"

"Don't call me that! Never call me that name!" Max hissed angrily, feeling acid coming up from her stomach as she heard her old name. "She's dead! Maxine's dead!" She just stated plaintively, feeling her breathing starting to turn frantic as she kept eyeing left and right, looking for something she could not find, some danger.

Panic started to build in her, the voice drooling with sociopathic pleasure resonating in her head, drawn from her memories.

The blonde was about to say something, to reach for her again, but the bluenette came forward. "You two know each other?"

Both Victoria and Max answered at the same time. "Yes…." "No!"

Before Victoria could inquire further, Max growled. "You don't! The girl you knew is dead, Victoria! She died five years ago!"

The three girls looked at her, obviously confused. Confusion brought by trying to understand who they had picked up on that truck stop and drove with for a day. Confusion brought by the memory of a loved one who kept denying that past and the hurt in her eyes and voice. Confusion at seeing their current lover expressing some interest toward someone else.

Rachel was the first to talk, her tone flat and dismissive. "Just let her go… She obviously doesn't want to be here…"

"What?! No!" Victoria exclaimed in a panick.

Chloe took a step while reaching for the pinkette's shoulder. "Listen… Sinead, or what the fuck your name is, I don't care about your past, okay? And, you can leave if you want to…"

"No, she can't!" Victoria interrupted, more and more panic in her voice.

"Yes, she can!" Chloe said insistently. "She's a free person, and no one can force her to do anything!" She took a deep breath, her eyes staring at the blonde for a moment. She turned to Max again. "As I said, you can leave if you want to. But… You're injured and I… I had a friend who can help come over to see you… She's not a doctor, yet… but she can help you and make sure you are safe. Please, before you leave, let her have a look at you. If you want to leave after that, fine… I'd rather you don't of course, but it's your choice. And if you want, my offer for a place to stay, at least tonight, is still there."

Max looked at the blue haired punk for a minute, hesitating. She wanted to leave, to be far away from any place, any person that reminded her of her past, of her nightmares. But the girl was also right. She had seen how the bandages on her arm had been tainted with blood, and she had felt the pain in her ribs.

Besides, she was tired. Tired of running away, of trying to escape, of surviving instead of living. She sighed, something between a deep breath and a groan. "Fiiinne… I'll see that friend of yours…. But I'm not saying I'll stay longer than that!"

At her words, relief was obvious in the punk's eyes. Same with Victoria who's face showed hints of hope. On the other hand, Rachel's face stiffened and her lips thinned as she seemed unhappy with the way things had gone.

"Okay… Just…. You know so as to make things clear… How do we call you? I mean, I'm fine with Sinead if you want… But…"

Max bit her lip as she thought. She had used quite a few names since that fateful day, all of them faked, all of them to hide who she was, her past, her memories. But here she could not do that anymore… Not with someone from her past standing there.

"Max… Max is fine…" she finally sighed.

"Okay, Max… Let's go get you checked up, okay?… Just to make sure everything's fine." Chloe said while moving to show her the way to the building.

"Kate's in my office." Victoria announced, finally finding her voice back. "I'll… I'll show her the way… Can you sort out the papers with Eliot for now? You can join us after."

The bluenette rolled her eyes with a smile. "Ok… I guess we want him far away as fast as we can anyway… I'll go meet him by the trailer and join up with you gals."


	8. Chapter 8 - When reality catches you up

**When reality catches you up**

As she walked behind the blonde with her pixie cut, Max could feel the piercing stare of the blonde with the blue feather boring a hole in her back. It kind of surprised her, too. At first, she had thought the girl was upset that Chloe had picked her up – as in, had picked up a barely dressed girl – but, as much as she had not reacted to it, she had noticed how the blonde's face had hardened even more when Victoria had shown up.

 _Probably some messed up story here!_

She mentally shrugged. She did not really care who Victoria was seeing, or what the richer blonde might expect; she knew she would not resume their relationship. Not that she thought Victoria would want to, once she found out what Max had been up to for the past few years. _Yeah right! Who'd want to date a trash like me, huh! Not to mention I did see that wedding ring…_

They arrived to a large office with a big window for a wall and Victoria held the door opened until Max and Chloe's girlfriend – _at least she's her girlfriend as far as I understood –_ were inside. Waving a hand toward the desk, a smaller blonde with a tight bun and dark blue cardigan stood up from a chair.

"Maxi… Max, this is Kate. She's a nurse at Arcadia Bay General and in medical school for her Doctorate. Kate… This is Max… She's the one Chloe called you for, and a dear friend from high school."

The small blonde gave Max a warm smile. "Oh, a pleasure to meet you, then! Any friend of Tori is a friend of mine. Rachel told me you needed to be looked at?" She tilted her head a bit. "Is it the bruise on your cheek? Any pain there?"

Max bit her lip. "Yeah… hi… And no, my face's fine… Well, it stings a bit but not much…. It's… my arm and chest."

"Oh… Well, I can have a look at this in the infirmary if you prefer, for privacy."

At those words, Victoria quickly shuffled and moved to pull on a string by the window panel, lowering the metallic blinds. "Sorry, I don't use them that much, so …."

Max pondered a moment, looking at the three women. "Here is fine…"

"Okay. Well if you could sit up, maybe on the couch in the corner? I'll have a look."

Max tried to shrug, although she winced a bit as her ribs and arm reminded her of her soreness. She walked to the couch and sat down quietly.

"You will have to take your shirt off, though…" Kate directed warmly as she came to sit beside her, putting a small bag on a coffee table.

"What? They haven't given you X-ray vision in Med-school?"

The blonde giggled at her quip. "No, sadly they only give it out in the final semester, which means I still have to wait."

 _Well at least she's got some sense of humor._ Max thought with a chuckle as she started unbuttoning her blouse. She froze for a minute noticing the eyes of all three girls staring at her. "Er… Could you…. Maybe, step outside? Please?" She finally asked, a bit embarrassed at both Victoria and Rachel.

"Why? Not like you're some kind of prude with how you dress!" Chloe's girlfriend shot back with a growl.

"Rachel!" Both Victoria and Kate interjected.

"Fine! I know when I'm not wanted!" The blonde grudgingly relented, stomping out of the room, followed closely by her boss.

"Better?" Kate inquired softly, drawing a nod from the pinkette as she slowly removed her top.

"Yeah… Just… don't tell anyone about what you're going to see…"

"Of course not!" Kate assured warmly. "You are a patient after all."

* * *

Chloe was watching the brand new Volvo truck, as it pulled out of the dock, with mixed feelings. She was sure glad to see the asshole at its wheel getting out of town, but at the same time she felt sick to see him drive the latest addition to the company's paddock.

"Can't believe that sicko gets to drive the new rigs!" Frank grunted as he stood beside her.

"Guess being friend with the Warbucks helps…" Chloe shrugged as she finished her cigarette.

"Yeah, that and threatening to wreck or sabotage your old rig if the new one gets to another driver…" The mechanic scoffed.

Chloe watched the trailer's lights disappear and nodded somberly. "Yeah… Guess it does, no matter who's the poor sod ending up driving your messed up rig." She added, her eyes moving the wreck still parked in a corner.

The Mechanic looked down with a bit of shame on his face. "Yeah… I really should have insisted to fully check it up before I let him drive it…."

"Not your fault if Eliot did not signal his rig had a problem when he handed it over." Chloe said while reaching to pat his shoulder.

"I still should have! We all knew Eliot's old truck was liable to have issues… I mean, the guy take even worse care of his rigs than he does of his women!" He sighed loudly. "Now, Trevor's dead and I can't face Dana without feeling guilty about it."

"Hey dude… You know she's not blaming you… We all know it's a risky job… Besides, we both know Trev would not have left if the truck had not passed his pre-departure inspection… Although,… I still wonder how he could have lost his brakes without warning like that…"

"You and me…" Frank nodded somberly. "You and me…"

"How is Dana holding up?" Chloe asked, trying to stir the subject toward the living.

"Not in the best shape, as you can figure." The man grunted. "Doesn't help, this asshole tried to put his moves on her not a week after her fiancé's death!"

"Is that why he's banished earlier than planned?"

"Yeah… Asshole sneaked into the ladies' shower room when Dana was alone! Dunno what he told her, but she freaked big time… Had to call Kate… Last I heard, she was resting at Kate's." The Mechanic's anger was palpable in his voice.

"That jerks needs to gets his balls handled to him once and for all…" Chloe growled.

"Count me in… Can probably count Justin in it, too…"

"Probably would be the fastest we see him move, too!" Chloe chuckled.

"True dat! Anyway… Heard you picked another stray…" The man finally said, changing the topic altogether.

Chloe winced a bit, knowing what he was about to say. "Yeah…. I probably will be the one sleeping on the couch tonight, I know… But still… Better that, than the guilt of leaving that girl behind to be killed."

"That bad?" He asked with an eyebrow raised.

"She got beaten and sliced up pretty bad…. Being tended by Kate right now…." She grunted. "Trying to convince her to stay a few days and let me help… But … She probably will want to leave."

"A loner?"

"Yeah…. That and… Well, seems there's some complicated story with our esteemed dictator."

The man shook his head. "Yeah well, good luck with that… and with Rachel… Need me to check your rig while it's here?"

Chloe shook head. "Nah, it may be old but you know I take good care of it! And it's purring like a kitten… Okay, more like a snoring tiger, but still..."

They both chuckled at the idea as they parted ways.

"Oh, by the way, Check out the Hawk's game this Sunday! Heard we got some good news coming up!" She called as she walked toward the building. She was about to open the door when Rachel stormed out.

* * *

Rachel had enough. She had been stressed by the necessity to balance her ongoing and slowly dying relationship with Chloe and the nascent feelings - _okay let's say love_ \- for Victoria. It was a very complicated situation, one she had been pondering over and over all day long.

 _How did I get myself into this mess?_

Her love for Chloe dated from high school, from the one night they had met by accident by the lighthouse overlooking the Bay while they tried to escape their problem for the night. Rachel still loved the angry teenager, the rebellious girl who had been there to support her whenever her relationship with her lying father was turning for the worst. She still loved the girl that had been here to laugh and make her laugh, to hug her when she cried, to enjoy life and dream with her. And she knew that girl still was there within Chloe.

But things had changed; they were not fighting the world anymore, trying to escape the suffering of their life. They were not in high school, full of dreams and free to live life without care.

Chloe had changed. The bluenette was not angry at the world anymore, not rebellious against everything. Sure, she remained easily upset and prompt to outbursts, and she was not one to back away from throwing a punch or two. But she had matured, had made peace with her family, peace with the world that had taken her father. _Hell, she's even driving a goddamn truck!_

Rachel had changed as well. Gone were the dreams of becoming a star; she knew it had been a futility, even if she was good looking and skilled. She was too small to be a model and you had to accept to do things to be an actress that she was not ready to do. Gone was her anger at her father; partly erased by the slow realization of the world's truth, and the effort the man had made for her forgiveness.

Not everything had changed, of course. Arcadia Bay was still under the strong influence, not to say complete control, of the Prescott Family. Homophobic and misogynistic assholes still seemed to rule the world – although to be fair they were apparently losing ground. H _ere's to hope!_

Chloe still tried to escape the town, without really leaving it; and her profession actually gave her the chance to do s - _like what, the world still worked in mysterious ways_. She still had a tendency to try and help everyone who needed it around her, picking up strays, comforting sad people, defending those that got bullied.

And Rachel? Well, she did not know. She would say she was still supportive of Chloe's urges to help the world – and yes she still wanted to make the world a better place, too – but she had grown tired. Tired of seeing strays, homeless people, troubled teenagers, runaways and all the other variety of people the blue-haired girl tried to help, intruding their life; tired of feeling that she would always be second to anyone with a single little issue in this fucked-up world.

That was how Victoria had started to appeal to her. The blonde did try to help those in needs. She gave jobs to people who were shunned by other companies, gave a chance to everyone who needed a place to be. But unlike Chloe, the blonde required you to have the will and fortitude to get yourself up. And she only gave you this one chance.

That and, like Chloe all those years ago, the blonde had something broken in her, something that Rachel felt she had to heal. She had known of the broken relationship the blonde had suffered in high school, of the pain she had suffered when the girl she had been in loved with had been ripped away from her. But she never thought the past would suddenly show up.

When Chloe had called to request for Kate to come, Rachel had known the Punk had picked up another stray. She had been upset, annoyed, that Chloe had done it once again, despite her protests. It had been the last straw, the last thing she needed to find the courage to talk things through with her. And no matter what the pink-haired girl had said, Rachel had planned on ending things, if not on the parking lot, in their apartment later that night.

She had been hurt that Chloe had chosen to care more for a stranger again. But the pain had been nothing compared to the crushing sensation she had felt when she had seen Victoria so desperate to keep the girl here. Her anger at Chloe for going against her wishes had been nothing compared to the fury she had felt when Victoria had thrown herself at the small girl, at the revelation that the stray was her lover's long lost paramour.

Rachel was losing it. She could not face it. So she ran.

She slammed the door open as she exited the building, tears in her eyes, walking quickly toward her car. She had not even noticed Chloe coming back until the girl called her.

"Rachel! Hey Rach! Wait up!"

She sighed, knowing she could not avoid it anymore. She stopped and turned, snarling. "What?!"

"Wow! Easy! What's going on with you?" The Punk said, trying to sooth the tension. "Listen… I'm sorry…. I know I said I would not do it, but… She really was frantic. She was even ready to hide in my trailer to escape…. Please, try to understand…"

Rachel shook her head. "It's you who don't understand! I… I'm tired of all this, Chloe! Tired of coming second to everyone who got a problem. It's like… It's like now that we are having a normal life, now that I'm not as broken as we were, you lost interest in me…"

"That's not true!" The Punk quickly defended herself.

"It is, Chloe… It is, and … I think that… That loss of interest is mutual…"

Chloe paused, her eyebrow lowering as she processed what she had just said. "What do you mean?"

"Chloe… I… I still love you… But not as before… Not like that… I… "

The Bluenette clenched her fists, her voice cold and flat as she voiced what Rachel was trying to find words for. "You found someone else…"

Rachel nodded, her eyes down.

"Who? Who is the bitch?" The Punk seethed slowly.

"It doesn't matter… I probably lost her, too."

"WHO?!"

"I said it doesn't matter!" The blonde started to feel anger rise in her at her ex-girlfriend's insistence. "It's probably over, too! I probably lost you both! I lost you to all the poor and sad people in the world! And her! Her?! You brought the only person that could kill what I had with her! You had to mess it up as well! You had to mess up both what we had and what I could have! So what does it matter who she was?!"

Not waiting to hear Chloe's response, Rachel stormed away to her car, crying. "Don't bother coming home tonight! You can come pick your stuff when I'm off to work tomorrow!"

* * *

Victoria was walking circles in front of her office, waiting as Kate took care of the pink-haired refugee, while her mind went haywire over the unexpected meeting.

 _Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! I can't believe Maxine's here! Where has she been all these years?_

She had a hard time adjusting to the change. The last she ever heard of the shy girl she had a huge crush on had been the following day of the incident with Maxine's father. She had gone to school, hoping to see the brunette and find out how bad it was, only to be told by their teacher that Maxine's parents had decided to have her transferred to another establishment.

She had tried to find out where, she had even tried to call Maxine's cellphone, but to no avail. No one at school knew where the girl had been sent. Pensions, special schools for mentally impaired, psychiatric wards, every possibility had been covered by rumors all crazier than the previous one. Well, she had to admit the pension one had been plausible, given the circumstances.

The fact no one had been able to get touch with the brunette had been more concerning. Her cellphone had been discontinued, her email accounts closed, her social media pages left untended. It had been as if she had been there on one day, and gone the next. Which, considering who the brunette's father was, had actually launched some darker rumors. Rumors that Victoria had refused to believe at first. A _fter all no father could do that to his own kid right?_ But after months had passed without a single sign of Maxine being alive, even she had finally started to believe the brunette was dead. That one day her body would be discovered at the bottom of the Puget Sound.

For the past years, one of the darkest, deepest reasons she had kept quiet about her own situations – well, as quiet as she could be, for Victoria Chase would let no one walk over her without at least a little fight – had been a mix of guilt and profound sadness. Because yes, Victoria Chase had been sad and guilty. Despite what everyone thought of her, she had human feelings and she had loved Maxine Caulfield deeply. And knowing that love had been ripped away from her, that she had been most likely killed for loving her back, had crushed Victoria's soul.

Until now.

Now that she knew Max was alive, it was like some huge weight had been lifted from her heart. She had not deserved her self-flagellation, the urge to punish herself that kept her entrenched in that wretched marriage. But did it mean everything was alright?

 _No, certainly not!_ She shook her head, dismissing the thought. It was obvious that Maxine – _No, wait I should think of her as Max, now…._ It was obvious Max had not had a happy and comfortable life these past five years.

 _Comfortable? Fuck that! She's covered in bruises and itseemed like her ribs hurt! OF FUCKING COURSE SHE WASN'T COMFORTABLE!_

With a soft groan at her own silliness, Victoria kept pacing up and down the corridor. She tried to figure out what had happened to Max during those years, the fact she had been dressed in such a way puzzled her as well. And what about her return? What did it mean for Victoria? Or for the situation with Rachel?

It was way too much for the Blonde, and she started to bite at her nails. Rachel had left, looking angry at the world. She was probably pissed at Victoria for not trying to follow her or hold her back.

 _Okay! Calm down! You're Victoria Chase! You can do it! Just deal with each problem one at a time!_

The most immediate one was the pink-haired girl currently getting medical care in her office. She had to figure a way she could help. Of course, she'd have to deal with Rachel next; she was not forgoing their relationship, not now at least. She was going to need to take care of her marriage, thought, probably even more so after this evening's events.

She was still trying to sort her thoughts and prioritize them in her head when Chloe came toward her stomping with a pissed face.

"Is Elio-" Victoria began to say, only to be suddenly cut off by the blue-haired girl's fist as it crashed angrily on her right cheek, sending her falling on her ass.

"You fucking BITCH!" Chloe snarled, and Victoria cringed, pulling back a bit.

It was not difficult for her to guess what had upset Chloe that much, Rachel had probably thrown the news of their dalliance while both of them were outside.

"I…. I…" She started to stutter, trying to find anything to say, but to her shame she could not. After all, she had been messing around with the bluenette's girlfriend.

To her surprise, Chloe did not hit her again. The Punk just stood there, fuming with her fists clenched as she ruminated.

"I knew it! I fucking knew it! I knew she was cheating on me! But I never thought you'd be the one she did it with!"

 _Yes… Rachel told her…._ Victoria groaned at the additional problem piling up with the previous ones. She shuffled on the floor and pressed her back against a wall. "I… Look… I'm sorry…. I'd rather have waited for her to break it up with you first… but … Shit I dunno anymore… And I certainly didn't expect things to go that way."

The blonde pressed her hands on her eyes.

"And you could not have the balls to tell me yourself?!" Chloe screamed. "I was the first fucking driver to work for you! Most of the people who work for you, I pointed them to you! Didn't that fucking deserve at least some fucking honesty from you?!"

Victoria tried to find words, a way to show how shitty she felt about the whole story. But Chloe didn't let her. The Punk slammed her fist against the wall angrily.

"Say something, you BITCH!" She snarled. "Oh, I bet you had so much fucking fun listening to Rachel complain about how long I was gone on the fucking jobs you fucking sent me! Probably had your fucking face up her fucking cunt while she did it too, right?!"

By that time, her shouting had attracted a lot of attention, her voice echoing through the hangar. The mechanics where standing by the garage door; the drivers that were present and some of the operators were looking at them though the break room's window. All of them had somber faces.

Chloe reached down and grabbed Victoria's collar, pulling her up as she looked at her with half closed eyes. "Got nothing to say, uh?" She asked while the blonde's eyes kept trying to look away with shame. "Figured so…. You know what? I'd totally get behind Max deciding she doesn't want your help! She fucking deserves better than a lying two-faced bitch!"

Victoria groaned as Chloe dropped her without care, walking toward the main door. As she reached for the knob, the Punk paused and looked back, her voice cold as she spoke. "You want your friend to stay? You do it on your own! I'm not helping you patching thing up anymore! As far as I'm concerned, you're no better than your shitfaced husband, and I'm not friend with the Prescott's like."

Victoria felt powerless as she watched the driver leave, slamming the door behind her. She knew the Punk was hot-headed and prompt to angry outbursts, and part of her knew the initial part of the one-sided brawl had come from that. But she also knew Chloe had been right, that she had made one of the biggest mistakes of her life in the way she had handled her and Rachel's relationship; and the Punk was known to hold her grudges until they died of old age.

 _Shit… I… I'll have to find a way to … apologize, to redeem myself…_

The gathered witnesses had started to scatter, not willing to be dragged into the battle between their boss and their friend; leaving the blonde woman to sob alone as she sat on the cold concrete floor of the corridor.

Victoria was still sobbing when the door to her office opened on a somber looking Kate.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **I have created a discord server with Husky and Alexa to discuss and beta-read our stories. It's open to every one to offer their polite review and discuss the various stories! Feel free to join by entering the following code when prompted to add the server :** 8xu4kNT


	9. Chapter 9 - Getting Help

**Getting Help**

Max tried her best to ignore the shocked hiss of the blonde-haired nurse as she finally let herself be examined. She knew she was probably quite the sight, with her bruised stomach and chest, her arm covered by a bloody bandage. She also knew this was not what had drawn the sound from the girl's lips.

 _Yeah… I'd have preferred if no one saw that…_

She felt hands shyly brushing against her back and tensed up a bit.

"Sorry…" She heard Kate's soft voice whisper behind her. "I was just surprised."

Max closed her eyes. It was not the first time people got surprised when seeing her back, but it was the first time the person reaction lacked disgust in her voice. "It's okay… At least you are not treating me like a freak."

"Why would I? I mean, it's not like you could do this to yourself." Kate responded with a kind voice.

She felt the fingers brushing along her back, probing here and there with tender care, before they moved to her side as the girl started to check her ribs.

"Do… Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Max sighed at the question. _Of course she'd be curious… I just don't want to talk about it._

"I told my pimp I was quitting… He did not take it so well." She finally answered, hoping to deflect the questions toward the more recent injuries.

"I was referring to–" The nurse began to say as her fingers finally reached Max' broken rib.

"I fucking know what you meant!" Max cut her off with a hiss. She immediately bit her lip, regretting the barking tone she had used on a girl who had only shown kindness to her. "Sorry… The pain…" She half apologized. "I just… It happened long ago… It's the past and… I don't really want to talk about it."

Kate's hand rose from her skin and she started to move around, preparing something. "Okay… I understand. Sorry if I pushed." The nurse simply responded. "You have a broken rib, but it seemed to be well set. Did Chloe do the tapping?"

Max nodded, both to acknowledge the girl's excuse and answer her question. "Yeah… She did not want it to move and do more damage before someone had a look at it."

Kate's hand started to wind a new tapping band around her chest, wrapping it snuggly enough to make Max grunt at the tightness. "She was right. The tape probably prevented the rib from shifting." The girl explained. "Although, the tapping could have been better if a bit tighter."

"Yeah… But now I barely can breathe!" Max quipped back with a grunt.

"Well, it's either that or risking the broken rib to set wrongly, or worse."

Max closed her eyes with a reluctant sigh. "Fuck me… Next time I'll just stab the prick as a resignation letter!"

Kate chuckled as she finished tapping her chest. "It might have helped. Although, I do hope there won't be a next time."

Max sighed, taking as deep a breath as she could with the constricting band. "Yeah… Me too… But then I never thought I'd ever do that kind of work to live, so …. Not gonna hold my breath on it…" She turned her head to wink at the blonde. "Even if you're fucking trying to prevent me from breathing, anyway!"

"Yeah, let's not stop breathing." Kate quipped with a smile as she moved her hand to check Max abdomen. "Does it hurt much?"

Max groaned softly. "It's sore, yeah! And I'd rather you stopped prodding at it!"

The blonde kept moving her fingers, pushing at the bruised spots, checking for signs of internal bleeding. "Sorry… I had to… But at least it seems to be only bruises and sore muscles." She finally reported. "Did you go to the bathroom since the … incident?"

Max nodded softly. "A couple times… Can't really spend a day in a moving truck without having to."

"Was there blood?"

Max tried to remember. She had not really paid attention to her piss; it was already hard enough to move back then. "I… I'm not sure… The first time did burn a bit… And I think it might have been rosier than usual… But it went well and normal the next visits."

Kate pursed her lips and nodded softly. "You may want to check it up in the next few days. And if it hurt when you go, please call me or go see a doctor, okay?"

Max rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I will… Although, it's not that bad… I mean, it's not my first beat up, and I'm still alive." She simply said, wincing a bit as she remembered times when she had spent days peeing blood.

"It's still not good to leave it unchecked." Kate chided with a serious face as she walked around her. "Okay, let me check your arm."

Max twisted her lips a bit as she offered her bandaged limb, cringing as she noticed the originally white bandage had turned brownish red.

Kate looked at it a moment, then reached in her bag for scissors. "I'll just cut it off." She simply explained as she started working the blades through the gauze. "Any… difficulties moving the arm?"

Max shook her head. "It stings, but otherwise, no…"

As Kate finally started to peel away the tape, she examined the wound, noticing it was still bleeding. "Hmmm… It does not look that deep, so muscles and ligaments should be fine." She finally announced. "I'll have to put some stitches, though. Sorry about the new scar." The girl smiled as she looked at Max all apologetic.

The pinkette shrugged it off. "It's okay, not the first… Probably not the last."

The blonde frowned as she reached for a suture kit. "You better promise me you'll make everything in your power for this to be the last, or I'll stitch you up without anesthesia!"

"Fine! Fine! I promise!" Max surrendered with a chuckle. "I mean, not like I'm trying to get hurt either, you know!"

"Good." With a soft scoff, the girl gave Max a shot and worked some antiseptic on the wound while letting the drug take effect. Max' arm quickly started to feel a bit numb, and she automatically began to clench her fist, trying to wake it up. After a few more seconds, the blonde started to sew the edges of the slice together, carefully suturing it, the tip of her tongue between her lips as she concentrated.

"There we go." She finally announced, cutting the excess thread. "I tried my best to make it as good as possible to reduce the scarring, but… I'm still in training. Sorry."

"It's fine. Don't worry." Max shook the apology off as the girl wrapped a clean bandage over her arm, sealing it with Band-Aid.

As she finally reached for her blouse, slowly putting it on again, she looked up at the blonde who was busy cleaning up and gathering every used bandages and tools into a red plastic bag. "Kate… Please… Can you not talk about …"

Kate turned her head and nodded softly. "I already gave you my word, and I take those seriously. Don't worry." She added with a smile.

"Thanks."

The blonde waved a dismissing hand in front of her. "Anyway, how did you know Victoria? She said you were a friend from High School."

Max bit her lip, looking away. "She… She was my girlfriend… in another life." She finally answered.

"Oh… I… I see." The blonde said with a soft blush. "Anyway… if you knew her from High School… does it mean you know Dana, too?"

Max quirked an eyebrow. "My… best friend was called Dana… yes… Why?"

Kate seemed slightly excited at the answer she was given. "Oh! Nice! She will be happy to know one of her friend is around!"

Max frowned. "Kate… I'm not planning to stay… I'm leaving this dump as soon as we are done here."

Kate froze a moment. "Oh… I thought…" The blonde hesitated a moment and shook her head. "Could you at least stay a few days? I mean, I understand if you don't want to, but… it would really mean a lot for Dana if she could see an old friend again."

Max felt conflicted. On one hand, part of her wanted to see her old friend and the way the blonde talked about her, Max was also a bit worried for the brunette. She remembered her a the always cheerful type. But at the same time, she wanted to be as far away from anything reminding her of Seattle and the hell she had to endure; and seeing her old friend might qualify as something reminding her of those – staying near Victoria clearly did.

"Kate … I…" She began to respond, but the blonde interrupted her.

"Please, Max… She's going through difficult times… She really needs her friends."

The pink-haired girl sighed, closing her eyes. "I… I'll think about it…"

"Thank you, Max." The girl tried to smile as she moved to leave the room. Although Max did not see her face anymore, with the girl facing the door, she could see how her shoulders drooped, and her moves seemed to reflect some darker thought.

With another sigh, she sat back on the couch, letting the girl leave the room on her own as she started to ponder on what she would do next.

* * *

When Kate left the room, she wasn't surprised to see Victoria had been waiting just by the door. She was surprised to see her sob, however. Had she not been pondering about the condition of the pink-haired girl's back, and the way the girl seemed to dismiss pain and injuries so casually, she'd probably be concerned by the sight.

However, she **was** still pondering about what she had just seen. She closed the door of the office behind her as Victoria slowly stood up, and faced the waiting blonde. Her eyes trailed on the bruising cheek and she winced slightly. She was about to speak, to ask what happened, but the woman waved a hand in a 'don't ask' manner.

So, she let it go and prepared herself for the interrogations the girl probably perpared. "We are done." She simply announced.

"How is she?" The company's boss quickly asked with a trembling voice.

Kate pondered how much she could tell and how much she should tell. It was hard to balance but in the end, she shook her head softly. "Nothing too big, don't worry. A bad cut I had to stitch, a broken rib that did not need setting and a few bruises. She should recover fully in no time, if she takes it easy."

The relief was clearly visible on Victoria's face, and Kate felt a bit guilty about all the things she had left unsaid. _Yeah, her body should recover… And judging from the states of her body, those were quite light compared to what she's been through… Her mind, though, might be another thing…. Oh well, I'm not a psy…_

Her train of thoughts got interrupted as Victoria asked, earnestly. "Is there anything I can do to help her? Did you maybe convince her to stay?"

Kate bit her lip. It had been obvious the girl she had left in the office had no wish to stay around; not for long at least. "I… I dunno, Victoria. She doesn't seem like she wants to stay… I did ask her if she knew Dana, told her she should meet her… Maybe she will, maybe she won't… All I got was that she would think about it."

"That's good! It… It gives me time to find a way to help her."

Kate frowned a bit. "Why are you so insistent on helping her, Victoria? It's not like you to do that."

The woman sighed and moved to lean back against a wall, raising a hand to her forehead. "I… I don't really know… I mean, I do… I loved Max a lot… And I did not help her when she disappeared. I haven't been there for her these past years…"

Kate pondered a moment. "She said she used to be your girlfriend… Is she… the one?" She finally inquired, remembering how Victoria and Dana had mentioned a friend they thought had been killed for being gay.

Victoria just nodded, unable to speak.

"Do you… still love her?" Kate asked, probing a bit more.

"I…" The blonde began, pausing as she seemed to ponder about her own feelings. "I don't know. I still care about her, yes. I want to help her. But I don't feel the same as I did back then. She certainly doesn't"

"Well, you both changed." Kate finally responded. "From what I saw, she did not have an easy life… Hasn't had a stable one at the very least. Maybe start there?" She offered before looking at her watch. "I have to go home. I left Dana alone and I'm still worried."

"Of… Of course. Thanks for coming and… please take care of Dana. I'm not sure if I can get Max to stay, so please, don't let Dana go…"

Kate smiled warmly as she reached and hugged the woman. "Do not worry. Dana's my friend too."

With these words, Kate walked toward the building's door, searching in her pocket for her car keys. As she stepped outside, she noticed two things. First, Rachel's car was not in the parking anymore. This was easy to notice given that the girl drove an old and battered pick-up truck.

Second was the blue-haired girl that pace angrily around the parking lot, smoking cigarettes as she mumbled to herself.

 _Yeah something bad happened. I'm not sure I should get involved for now, though._

She was heading to her car when a voice called. "Kate? How is she?"

She turned to face the Punk girl. "She's okay, Chloe. I had to stitch her arm but you did a good job on the rest."

"Thanks the fucking gods for that. At least this day will not be a total bust." The driver cursed with a drop of her shoulder, obviously relieved.

"I have to go home, make sure Dana is okay." Kate excused herself as she opened her car door.

"Oh, sure. Please hug her for me… Tell her she can call me if she needs." Chloe answered, moving to close the door after Kate boarded her small VW Rabbit.

As she pulled out of the lot, she could see the blue-haired girl leaning against the building's wall, close to the entrance.

* * *

Chloe's anger had finally started to simmer down. Her initial idea had been to go wait for Max – or whatever her name was – as she received treatment from Kate. Unfortunately, she had barely seen the pixie cut blonde hair of her boss that all the seething anger she had felt raging in her since her 'talk' with Rachel had broken lose.

Even to her, it had not been pretty. Not that she was not the kind of person to burst out in anger and throw punches or other kind of rage. She clearly was that kind of person, and she had gotten into enough trouble as a teenager to prove it.

No. It had not been pretty because she had made tremendous efforts in the past few years to come back from that always angry state; and it took a lot of self-restraint not to beat Victoria to a pulp. In fact, she had felt her self-control slip, which was why she had elected to leave the building and cool her head.

She had been chain smoking and pacing the parking lot, trying to use the pent up energy of her anger, when Kate had come out. She had intercepted the blonde nurse, asked her how her stray was doing before letting her go.

In the end, she had resumed her post, smoking as she leaned by the entrance, her clothes and hair damp from the rain she had purposely walked under.

She was about to lit her third cigarette when the door opened on the pink-haired girl. She raised her head, pausing with the flame of her lighter a couple inches from the tobacco stick jutting from her lips. She almost expected the girl to simply walk away, expected to have to argue with her to accept the help for the night; but instead, the girl moved to lean on the wall beside her, pulling her own cigarette box and lighter from her wool sock and lighting one up.

"I thought you'd be gone." The girl finally said as she repositioned her items in her improvised pocket.

"I wasn't in a hurry." Chloe simply responded, pulling on her own cigarette. "How're you doing?"

"I'm fine… Wounds weren't that bad." Max responded with a shrug.

"Yeah… Kate told me so." The Punk went on, eyes staring at the falling rain. "And how are you feeling? I mean, now that you apparently met with people who know you."

The pinkette just stared at the sky for several seconds. "Not sure. I… I'd rather not talk about it."

Chloe pondered for a moment, her eyes looking at the girl. "Need a place to crash tonight? Or are you still planning on leaving town right away?"

The girl shook her head. "I dunno what I'll do… But I don't wanna cause trouble between you and your girlfriend –"

"Ex." Chloe interrupted.

"What?" Max jerked her head up, looking at her in surprise.

"Ex-girlfriend. She… We broke up while you were getting yourself checked up." Chloe explained as she looked toward the sky again.

"Not because of me, I hope."

"Nah… It's been brooding for a while." Chloe said with a shrug, although her tone was a bit colder than she tried to let it sound. "I've been suspecting she was cheating on me… Turns out I was right…"

"Victoria?" Max inquired after a few seconds.

"How do you figure?"

The pinkette shrugged, taking a drag of her cigarette. "She was upset when I showed up, but she went totally ballistic when Victoria arrived and hugged me… Not a real mystery there, to find out who she was the most jealous about."

Chloe grunted some approval. "Anyway, no you don't have any reason to refuse my help, I guess."

Max pondered. "I still have some… But not this one." She finally agreed. "Although, I figure you'll be the one needing your bedroom, now."

The driver shrugged. "I'm only off for the weekend. Then I'll probably be on the road for a week or two. Not like I'll need the room, I can take the couch or sleep in my truck."

Max shook her head, trying another bid to push the help back. "It's your room, I won't take it."

"Fine. You can have the couch." The Punk simply retorted.

The pink-haired girl sighed. "Listen… Why are you so eager to help me? You don't fucking know me, I pointed a gun at you, and you can bet your fucking sweet ass I won't pay you back by fucking with you, no matter what I used to do for a living!"

Chloe shook her head and raised a hand. "Okay, cool your jets. I don't care who you are, okay? I don't even care what you used to do. From where I stand, you're a girl who got fucked up by the all mighty and who is trying to get by on her own. I respect that and I know how it feels. Hell, Rachel knows how it feels too!"

"Doubt you can even imagine what I've been through." Max scoffed.

"Maybe, maybe not. But you're still trying to turn your life back into something better. And that I hella respect. And if offering you a warm bed or couch to sleep on for a couple of days can make the fucking difference, I'm willing to do it, okay?"

The pink-haired girl eyed her, her blue orbs scanning her as if trying to judge whether she had been truthful or not. "You don't even know if I wanna turn my life around."

"If you did not want to, you would not have tried to run away from your pimp." Chloe said matter-of-factly. "And you would certainly not be so hell-bent on refusing to sleep with me in exchange for my help."

"Okay… But you still don't know me."

"So, what? Because I don't know you, I can't help?" Chloe finished her cigarette and reached in her pocket, fishing for her keys. "Listen, maybe you're not good and maybe you'll screw me over. But that could be true with every stranger I meet. So, the way I see it, I only got two choices. Either I live my life, closed on my own without talking to anyone, or I take the risk, I open a bit of myself and hope what I'll find won't be all pain and suffering. And you know what? After trying both, I found out the risk of a bit of pain is still hella better than living on your own and being angry at the world. Trust me, I've been there." She dangled the keys in front of the girl. "So…. You taking the couch or you're taking the coach?"

The girl made a few raspberries at Chloe's bad pun, quickly starting to giggle. "Oh Dog, that one was bad!"

Pleased with the reaction, the Punk beamed, shaking her keys a couple times. "Okay, come. At least take my offer for the night. It'll be better than sleeping on the streets and… you'll still have time to beat it tomorrow, if you want to."

The girl seemed to ponder for a moment while she pulled the last few drags of her cigarette. Finally, with a deep sigh, she pushed away from the wall. "Fine… But only because it's late and I'm too tired and beaten up to argue."

"Say the girl who spent most the drive sleeping." Chloe smiled holding her hands up in a 'whatever' gesture as she lead the way toward her parked tractor truck.

"Asshole" Max mumbled as she followed.

"Well at least you think I have a 'sweet' asshole!" Chloe quipped with a chuckle, giggling as the pinkette rolled her eyes.

 _Well… That was easier than I thought…_


	10. Chapter 10 - Finding Home

**Finding Home**

Kate had only left for a few minutes when the door opened, letting the owner of the office back inside. Max had been in her thoughts, pondering about her next move, preparing for a discussion she knew she would have to face. _Damned! I'd hope to have more time before this!_

"Kate says you're going to be okay?" Victoria opened up as she walked toward the table.

Max shrugged the question off. "Not like anyone really cares."

"I DO!" The blonde immediately responded, almost barked. "I care about you, Max!"

She felt a surge of anger warming up in her gut. "You… care about me?" The words were whispered, as if they surprised her. "YOU CARE ABOUT ME?! THE HELL YOU FUCKING DO!" The small pinkette finally shouted.

"Max-" Victoria began, but Max did not give her time to continue.

"Did you really care about me when my dad dragged me out of your car and sequestered me? Did you really care about me when I was sent away to a fucking 'reformation school'?" Max actually used her fingers to make quotation marks. "Did you really fucking care about me these past years while I was living in hell, wandering alone, homeless, getting beat up, having to beg and steal or even sell my-fucking-self for food?!"

With each of her accusations, Max could see the blonde crumbling, as if her body was literally shrinking, and part of her felt sweetness at seeing the girl suffering. "If you fucking cared about me, Victoria, you'd have been there to save me!"

"Max-" The blonde began, trying to find words as her voice died in her throat.

"Where were you, Victoria?"

"I…"

"Where were you, when my family shoved me in a car and drove me away? Where were you when these psychopaths at the 'school' did their best to break my body and mind? Where were you while I was starving on the side of the roads? Where were you when I got raped by bums, truckers and other psychos? Tell me, Victoria! Where the fuck were you when I had to let all the perverts of the fucking world have a go at me, just so I could have fucking roof over my head and food in my stomach?!"

"I didn't know!" Victoria finally cried out, tears in her eyes. "I swear, Max! I swear! I searched for you! Ask Dana!"

"Yeah, sure…" Max scoffed crossing her arms.

"I swear, Max! When your dad had your family drag you away, he threatened me, said he would kill the both of us if I even showed myself in your neighborhood! And still, the next day I was waiting for you! I waited for you all day, all week, at school, in your street. I hid in my car, hopping to see you! I tried to call you! And I never saw or heard from you!" The girl cried and sobbed. "I swear, Max. The only news we had was that your parents had pulled you out and transferred you in another school. And I searched for you! Every day I went to every other school around Seattle, hoping to see you! I did that for months!"

"And then what? Decided you had enough? You moved on as if nothing had happened and got yourself a nice life?" Max charged back, not wanting to accept the girl had been searching for her all this time.

"And then, rumors came that… that your father had killed you! That you were dead!" Victoria uttered with a broken voice. "I didn't believe the rumors at first… But… I still couldn't find you. After months, I began to doubt… I began to think I actually got you killed… That you were lying somewhere at the bottom of the Sound and that it was my fault!"

"Yeah, as if my own dad would kill me… Try something else."

"Like it would have been the first time!" Victoria defended. "Max, do you even know who your dad is?"

"Some asshole bigoted businessman." She simply responded.

"You really have no idea?"

At the blonde's question, Max simply shook her head with a hint of annoyance.

"Max, your father, Ryan Caulfield, is the head of the Seattle Irish mob! How was I supposed to believe a man, who had countless people killed over a few dollars, would not have his own daughter killed because, in his bigoted view, she was shaming him by being gay?"

"What? No! No way! My dad may be a jerk, but -"

"For fucks sake, Max! Why do you think a shy girl like you wasn't bullied all the time like all the other nerds?"

"I was bullied! I clearly remember Thomas Jordan enjoying himself as he and his buddies put their fucking shaving cream bomb in my locker!" Max argued.

"Yeah, and he never walked straight ever again, Max! Do you remember what happened to him? The 'accident'?" This time, Victoria actually flexed her fingers in a quotation mark sign.

"What? So, the jerk broke his knees falling from some stairs… I don't see how that makes my dad a mobster."

"Thomas Jordan never fell down any stairs, Max! Or if he did, he fucking managed to fall repeatedly on the same spot over and over again! His knees did not just break, they got shattered into tiny fucking pieces!" Victoria argued, pausing at the shock on Max' face as the girl began to see her childhood in a different way.

"I…" The pink-haired girl frowned as she stuttered. _Is this true? Is my dad really some… mobster king? It would explain a few incidents, but…_ Max began to ponder, her brain trying to review every weird moment of her childhood.

Victoria pressed her hands on her eyes, wiping her tears. "Max… I'm sorry I believed these rumors! You don't know how sorry I am. There are so many things I'd do differently if I could! I've spent years thinking about what I should have done!"

The girl's words brought Max back to reality. "It… It doesn't matter… Nothing in all this matters! Whether my dad is a mobster or not. Whether you believed the rumors or not. Whether you regret acting as you did or not!" Max shook her head as she stood up, heading to the door. "You can't change the past, Victoria! You can't erase those five years! You can't give me my life back!"

Victoria quickly rushed between her and the room's exit. "I can try! I know I can't erase the past! I… I know it! But… I know you are alive, now! And I can help you! Or I can try to!" Tears and mascara were running down the blonde's cheeks as she spoke. "Please, Max! Let me help! I beg you!"

Max was shook by the way her former paramour seemed so insistent, the way she was frantic about helping her. But what could Victoria do? Give her money? No, Max did not want charity. Give her a place to sleep? No way will she live with Victoria. The times she wanted to be with the blonde were over.

She nervously reached with her right hand and gripped her left elbow. "You can't help me, Tori… It's too late…"

"I can! I can help you!" The blonde insisted again.

"And what will you do? Give me money? Invite me to live in your home? I don't want your pity or your charity! I may not have much, but I fucking earned what I have!"

"Then just tell me what it will take!" Victoria's voice sounded more and more frantic as she grew desperate. And Max found it harder and harder to ignore her pleas.

 _Fuck, Max! Stay tough! You told Merrick to go fuck himself! You even cut his balls off! Don't fucking show weakness!_

Before she could respond, the blonde kept on offering. "Tell me, Max! Tell me what you need! Do you need a job? I can give you one!"

Max could not help the scoff that escaped her throat. "A job? And what will you have me do? I never graduated! I have no skill, no experience! So what job would you have for me? You want me to be the Moral Enhancing Assistant? You know, the girl that goes naked in the men's room to blow and be fucked by them so they stay happy? Well, fuck you Tori! I'll never do that again! Not for you! Not for anyone!"

"NO! I would never even think of having you do that!" Victoria whimpered.

"Then I don't see what job you would have for me!" Max retorted with her voice breaking slightly.

"I don't know either, Max… I don't know, but I still want to do it! Any job you want! And if you need training, I'll see that you get it!"

"I don't want your-"

"It's not pity, Max! I did it for most of the people working here! You would have to work for me for a few years to pay it back, like they did." Victoria interrupted before Max could deny her offer.

Despite all her words of protest, Max' resolve found itself seriously weakened by that. It was more than she ever was offered. More than she let herself even dream for, an offering for a job and the training to go with it. Better, Victoria was offering her any position too.

 _Fuck! I don't want to stay, but I'd be fucking crazy to pass on this opportunity!_

Max bit her lip and turned to look away as she thought. It was like an internal battle between the different parts of her mind. The hurt, rough and broken part telling her not to trust anything coming from anyone; kicking and screaming at the mere thought of considering the offer. The sound and reasonable part of her, the one that had been asleep for so long, beaten into submission by so many disappointment and hurt; calling for her to be objective and to see how this could actually let her live without having to resort to the disgusting things she had to accept before.

Victoria was about to press further, her lips parting again when Max screamed in frustration. "FUUUUCCCKKK!"

The pinkette turned, pacing in the room before she stood in front of Victoria again. "Fine… You want to offer me a job, I'll think about it okay? That's all I'm promising. That I'll think about it! That I won't leave town tonight! I'll stay a few days! I'll think about it. And whatever decision I make, you better fucking accept it!"

The blonde's shoulder dropped with relief. "I will!" She sobbed, wiping her eyes. "I will… I promise."

"You better! I fucking started this trip by cutting the balls off my pimp when he refused to let me go! Don't think I will not fucking kill you if you push too far…" Max growled, although her voice lacked any real sign of threat or resolution. "Now, let me go before I change my mind."

Victoria's face showed she did not really believe that Max would hurt her. She still took a step aside, letting Max scurry out of the room.

* * *

As she climbed back into the passenger seat of the truck, Max was glad she had taken her time between exiting Victoria's office and leaving the building. She had made a slight detour through the girl's room – because one has to go when one has to go – and took a few minutes to gather herself back into shape.

It had not been that easy, and she still had a lot to think about. But that could wait. For now, she was secretly glad the punk driver had been waiting for her. She would not admit it, but she actually had decided she would accept the invitation, if the girl was still there to renew it, **before** leaving the company's building. _Although, I really expected having to sleep under a bridge or in some alley again. Not that I was really looking forward to it…_

She buckled her seatbelt silently as Chloe started the engine, giving birth again to the bass rumbles of the in-line six. The buzzer for the air tank came to live again, quickly silenced as the compressor built up the pressure again. The Punk flicked the lights on and pressed the parking break fob before setting her left foot heavily on the clutch and shifting into gear.

Slowly, the truck moved out of its parking spot and headed toward the gates. Max remained silent for a while, looking at the buildings and streets as the truck slowly maneuvered through the town, following a large road along the coast, until it crossed through the town's market district.

"Anything happened with Bitchtoria?" The driver asked as a residential area began to appear in the windows.

Max snorted with humor at the nickname. She had never heard anyone call Victoria like that, but she could understand why the blue-haired girl did so. "Nothing particular. She tried to make me stay, of course…"

"I see." The woman at the wheel simply responded as she slew her truck down, flicking her turn light on. "Are you gonna do it? Staying?"

Max shrugged. "I don't really know. I guess I could think about it. Maybe… It's not like I enjoy running and all."

The driver nodded as she took her turn, leading the heavy vehicle through narrower streets surrounded by houses. "I can imagine. Are you… thinking about getting back together with her?"

"What?" The pink-haired girl's head jerked and her eyes narrowed as she looked at the driver. The bluenette kept her eyes purposefully on the road though, preventing her to really read her thoughts. "No! I'm not gonna get back with her! I'm not blind and I saw her ring! Sorry, but I won't be the mistress that hangs in the shadow while she enjoys her married life, and be on call when she gets bored. I gave up on streetwalking; I'm not about to become some kind of private escort girl!"

"Sorry I asked. Just pondering. And don't worry too much about the ring. It's not like she's spending time with her husband anyway. No love between them."

"HUSBAND?!" Max felt like she came from one surprise to another. "She's married to a man? But she's gay!"

Despite being all serious, the Punk snorted. "I hear yah! Most of the girls working for her are as well, by the way. And as far as I know, she did not get the husband by choice… Family crap or something." She shrugged. "Although, they deserve each other… Cheating assholes, the both of them."

Max winced at the acid tone. "Sorry… Did not want to bring this back."

"It's fine… I've known Rachel was cheating on me for a while. Just never thought Victoria would be the one she did it with."

The truck slew down again, Chloe driving it close to the curb as they approached a house with sidings in a poor state. She parked in front of the house, making sure she did not block the driveway in which a familiar State Patrol SUV and an old hatchback car were already parked.

She pulled on the yellow fob, the truck giving out another hissing sound of air being released as the parking brakes were engaged. She reached for the key, cutting off the engine as she spoke again. "So, what are you planning to do?"

Max unbuckled her belt and sat back, looking at the windshield. "I'm not sure… She offered me a job, if I want one… It's kinda appealing really, but I know I don't have the skills for any of them… The only thing I got experience with, I'm certainly not doing ever again… So…"

Chloe nodded. "Yeah well, no rush. You're welcome to stay here while you think it out. And don't worry about skills. Dicktoria is a bitch and all, but… she's actually good willed. If you want a job and you don't have the skills, she'll get you the training for it. A lot of the folks working for her got their job like that."

"Even you?" Max asked with a raised eyebrow.

Chloe reached on the dashboard for her cigarettes, taking one and lighting it up before offering one to her passenger. "No… I got my license before she even created her company. She gave me my first real job, though… Before that, I spent over a year struggling, applying to company after company… I got a few one-time gigs, but no real employment." She rolled her eyes at the pinkette as she added. "No trucker company around here was really eager to hire a punk girl with a history…"

Max took a drag of her cigarette. "I see…"

"And I don't let my boss pressure me into breaking the regs!" The Punk smirked. "Seriously, those dudes seem to think it's fine if we drive without sleep and all… I'd rather keep my ass in one piece, and my truck and cargo while I'm at it. Won't do the customer no good if I wreck his stuff because I fell asleep at the wheel! And those dudes would scream bloody hell for not following the regs and breaking their trucks, too! Assholes…" Chloe finished her cigarette, popping her door open. "Anyway, Vic actually understands that and she actually like that I keep repair costs to a minimum. She gets a good reputation as a dependable transporter with drivers who WILL deliver their cargo in one piece. I get to enjoy a job that lets me travel around the country. And both of us benefit from a bigger tolerance from the fuzz as far as stopping us for weight and logs controls is concerned. Trust me, even if we have to pay a few 'late' fees now and then, we're still getting much more in exchange."

"Good for you, I guess." Max said, finishing her cigarette.

"Yep! Anyway, this is the place. Home shit home… I know it's not really good looking on the outside, but well… Come on, they're probably waiting for us to eat, too."


	11. Chapter 11 - The Madsens

**The Madsens**

"Anybody home? I got a full truckload of bad girls here!" Chloe called as soon as she went through the door. She sidestepped a bit, letting Max step into the house before she closed the door.

"Chloe?" The voice responded from up the stairs, quickly followed by the sounds of steps before a woman appeared at the top.

"Hi mom! What's up?"

The woman slowly walked down the stairs as she responded with an annoyed look that seemed clearly forced. "I was preparing the bedroom for yet another of your guests." She reached the last step and paused. "Nice of you to give us a little warning this time."

Chloe shrugged. "Well, you did stick your attack mustache on me to make sure I came to visit. Might as well make it useful, right?"

"If you were coming more often than just to drop yet another one of your pick-ups, I wouldn't need to ask David to invite you, young lady." The blonde woman, wearing what looked like a waitress uniform, shook her head with her hands on her hips as if scolding a child.

Chloe smirked and chuckled before she reached to hug the woman. "Well, I'm sorry, but I'll try to make more time, Mom."

The woman leaned into the hug, hugging her daughter back. "Try to make it so, please. You know I worry a lot when you go on the roads like that."

"It's my job, mom."

"I know, but... Well, I still don't like the idea of my daughter being alone like that with all the accidents we hear about."

Chloe rolled her eyes; apparently the argument was not something new. "I know it can be dangerous if you are not careful, mom. But you know I'm being very careful about it."

"And you know I won't stop worrying about my little girl." The woman retorted with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah… I'm not so little anymore. Anyway, this-"

"Chloe? Why did you park that big truck on the street? You know it will be a bother for those driving through." A grumpy voice called as a man wearing a blue uniform came from behind the stairs.

"And hello to you too, David!" Chloe retorted while rolling her eyes. "And I had no choice, there was a toilet mint parked in the driveway!"

"Well, why didn't you take your pick-up instead of this whale." The man replied with a smile that curled his mustache.

For the first time Chloe seemed embarrassed and at a loss of word. "Yeah… Well, long story… Will tell you both later." She shrugged and turned to wave a hand at the girl that had been waiting quietly.

"Anyway, this is Max, the guest I told you about. Max, this is Joyce, my mom, and David, her attack mustache, who also fill the role of step-dad."

Surprisingly, Joyce quickly came to hug Max in greeting. "Hello, Max. Welcome to our house. Oh, sorry!" She quickly parted as Max winced, her ribcage complaining.

"Hi… and it's okay." Max responded with her eyes down as she tried to remain polite.

She felt the eyes of the man scanning her for a moment before the deep grumpy voice spoke. "Yeah, welcome. Do you need to see a doctor for your ribs?"

Chloe shook her head, intervening quickly. "It's okay, she saw Kate already. It's what took us so long. But anyway, how about we continue the introduction as we eat? I mean, I think I was invited to dinner after all!"

Joyce rolled her eyes at her daughter's antic. "Yes. And the food has been waiting for us long enough. I hope you like lasagna, Max."

"Err… yeah, that's fine." The pink-haired girl responded as she followed the small trio to the living room.

"Nope, it's great! Mom's lasagna are just better than anything you've ever eaten before!" The bluenette quickly corrected.

They sat at the table as Joyce went in the kitchen to retrieve a large dish from the oven and brought it on the table. As she began serving everyone around the table, she began to talk again. "So, Max, where are you from?"

"Errr… From here and there." The girl responded warily, her eyes moving from each person in turn. "I was in Sacramento, when Chloe picked me up."

"Ah California! Did you grow up there?" The woman asked back as she placed a full plate of lasagna in front of Max.

"Err…no… I grew up in Seattle." Max response was hesitant and she did not wish to give more details in her response.

Although, Chloe quickly added. "She grew up with Victoria."

"Oh did you? Well, at least it means you have friends here." The woman smiled as she sat down.

"Yeah…" The young girl responded with little enthusiasm, digging in her food.

"Max is a strange name for a girl." David remarked between two mouthful. "Is it a shortening?"

"Can you lay off the interrogation? She's not a suspect!" Chloe quickly defended.

"I'm just curious." The man responded with a shrug.

Max did not believe much of that claim. To her, the man - who's uniform clearly marked as a cop, if the fact he had pulled them over earlier that day hadn't been a clue - apparently let his investigative mind on even at home.

"It's short for Maxine." She simply responded. _After all, it's not like it will get him much to know that._

"It's such a nice name, Maxine!" Joyce gushed softly, sending a shudder through Max' spine.

"Please don't call me that!" The pinkette responded with a harsher tone than intended as she dropped her fork on the table. She quickly averted her eyes. "Sorry… I… I just hate when people call me that…"

The couple looked at her in silence as they pondered about their guest, both sensing that a painful story probably hidden behind the outburst.

"Okay." Joyce finally said, taking another bite of lasagna. "Will you be staying with us for a few days?" She asked softly.

"I… I dunno. I got a few things to think about before I move on, so I guess… If it's okay."

"Victoria offered her a job, if she wants it." Chloe quickly added.

Joyce nodded. "Well, then of course, take your time. It's nice that you have some plan to think about."

"Yes, it's a nice change." David commented. "Most of the people Chloe brings along barely know where they want to do with their life."

Max pursed her lips, biting on the automatic response that she did not know what she wanted herself. She knew what she did not want, and it was probably at least something; but as far as what she wanted to do with her life, she drew a big blank.

"What job did Victoria offer?" Joyce inquired warmly.

Max shrugged. "She did not say. Just that if there was any job I wanted, she'd give it to me and make sure I'd get the training."

"That's pretty nice of her." David mused, with his eyebrows dropping a bit. "Were you close?"

Max growled softly. "Why do you care?"

Sensing that her guest was beginning to dig her heels, Chloe quickly intervened. "It's a long story. I'm not sure I know it all either. Maybe something for another time?" She offered. "We had a long day."

David simply grunted with a nod, looking down as Joyce stared at him, killing any inclination to pursue this topic.

"Do you have an idea on what you would want to do?" Joyce finally asked.

"No… I don't even know what I can do, anyway…" The pinkette's response was curt. It was not rude or annoyed, but it still showed some tension, some wariness.

Thankfully, the woman appeared to sense the discomfort in the younger one and she simply nodded. "Well, take you time thinking about it. I'm sure you will find something."

The dinner ended without much more discussions. At least as far as Max was concerned. The Madsens and Chloe exchanged some chat about schedule or something that she was not sure she understood. It did not matter anyway, she was just glad they did not press for more questions such as 'Why are you dressed like this?' or 'How were you hurt?'.

Max felt that the man wanted to ask, but she was at least thankful that he refrained of doing it. _Probably used to seeing beaten up people showing up._

As the meal ended, David left the table and went to what she gathered was the garage, or at least a room behind it, leaving the women to their own devices.

Max picked up her plate and carried it to the kitchen, following the blonde woman as she gathered the rest of the table. She laid cutlery and the plate in the sink with the rest and simply left the room as the mother began to do the dishes while the daughter leaned against the counter.

She felt a pang of jealousy at this display of a normal familial bond, wishing for yet another time that she had the same kind of relation with her mother, that her life had been different.

With a sigh, she went for the sliding window that led to a small untended garden and stepped out, fishing for her cigarettes and her lighter.

* * *

As Max left the room, Chloe went silent. It was not that she was bothered by the girl leaving, but what she wanted to discuss with her mom was hard to talk about.

"So, what's been bothering you, Chloe?"

As usual, her mother had read her like a book, noticing her uneasiness.

"Damned, mom… What makes you think I'm bothered?"

"Well, you don't usually stay to chat with me while I wash the dishes, hon." Joyce retorted, throwing a glance at her that seemed to ponder if the girl was really thinking she was that blind. "So, tell me. Did you and Rachel have a fight?"

 _Damn! Spot on, on the first fucking try! You should be the one wearing the uniform, mom! Wait! Do detectives wear uniforms?_

Chloe shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe you went straight for that one..." She let out a deep sigh, her shoulders dropping. "But… yeah… we had a fight."

"I figured so when I did not see her with you tonight." Joyce nodded as she put a cleaned plate on the side, moving on to some forks. "Was it because you decided to help yet another person in need?"

Chloe crossed her arms, partly defensively and partly to hide the anger that made her clench her fists. "That did not help. But, no. We had a fight about Victoria."

"Victoria? Why would you fight about her?" For the first time, her mom's voice showed some surprise, making her smirk a bit. _Glad I can still pull one over you!_

"Well… Apparently, I had the worst idea ever when I decided to pick-up Victoria's High School sweetheart."

"Why would Rachel mind? Wait… Do you mean Victoria is…"

"No, mom!" Chloe retorted with sass. "Victoria is as straight as you could be! If you were some twisted, crooked branch!" She shook her head with a bit of amusement at her mother's ignorance before taking a more serious tone. "Anyway, yes, Victoria is gay as hell. Only reason she's married to a dude is that her parents forced her into it."

She looked at the girl sitting on a cinder block in the backyard, smoking. "That and whatever went wrong between her and Max."

"Okay." Joyce acknowledged as she cut the water off and began to wipe the plates with a towel. "Still, why would Rachel mind?"

The vitriol in Chloe's voice would have melted solid steel as she responded. "Because she's been fucking with Victoria for months and I seem to have brought back someone that could put an end to her getting some on the side."

Joyce's eyes widened in shock and for a moment, the only sound that broke the silence was that of a plate crashing on the tiles of the kitchen floor. "Oh, dear… I'm so sorry!" She finally managed to say, coming to embrace her daughter in a hug.

"It's okay… I knew she was getting it from someone… I did not know it was from someone I thought was a friend, but well…" She shrugged as she pulled away from her mom, moving to pick-up the pieces stranding the floor. "Anyway, she broke us off… Took off with my pick-up, too… And I may need another place to sleep from now on."

"I'm so sorry, Chloe! Of course you can come live with us again!" The mother quickly reassured, pausing as she suddenly realized something. "Although, that means your room would not be available for Max."

"Mom! It's okay, let her have the room. I'll take the couch or sleep in my truck if I have to." She interrupted quickly with a wave of her hand before casting a glance at the girl outside. "Besides… I think she needs the privacy more than I do…"

Both women stared at the girl who sat outside, staring at the sky as she smoked.

"She had it rough."

The words were voiced as an affirmation, as if Joyce somehow felt that their guest had an eventful past, something painful.

"Yeah… I don't know exactly what. Well, I know what she went through when I picked her up, but from what I gathered, she's been having it hard since she turned eighteen."

Joyce looked at her daughter with a slight frown. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Victoria always talked about her girlfriend that went missing on her eighteenth birthday. That was Max. Anyway, I found her hiding in my trailer, trying to escape her pimp. Apparently, the asshole didn't like that she wanted out." She shrugged. "I dunno what happened to her in those five years, but for a gay girl who attended the same upscale school as Victoria to end up turning tricks by a truck stop in California, it probably is pretty messed up."

"If she was that desperate and broken to do that, and the way she seems to hate the name her parents gave her; I suppose you are right. At least she had the will to survive, however twisted the way."

Chloe mused over her mother's words before she nodded. "Yeah… Not sure I'd still have it."

"You never were broken, Chloe. At a bad place, yes. But broken? No, you never had the chance to fall this far, that you barely trusted anyone… You found Rachel before it happened." She smiled softly as she turned to her daughter. "Not that you did not scare me a few times."

"It's obvious that she's not trusting us, eh?"

Joyce rolled her eyes. "She's so tensed I expect to see her snap and break the walls. It's clear she's still expecting to see some other shoe drop anytime."

Chloe nodded. "Yeah… Another reason I'd rather she take my room. She can lock the door and rest. On the couch, she'd be too afraid of people being able to reach her." She smiled humorously. "And no fucking way do I leave her alone in my truck!"

"I figured." Joyce smiled back. "Okay, I guess you better show her to the room. You girls had a long day, if I remember correctly."

At the mention of it, Chloe yawned loudly and shook her head. "Yeah… At least she did sleep a little. Me, I had to drive." She shook her head, heading to the backyard.

* * *

Sleep was hard to find. She never had been a big sleeper, she knew that. Well, to be more precise, she had never been a big sleeper since she turned eighteen. Not that she did not feel exhausted or did not need to sleep. No, she just had learned she could not stop to mind her surroundings.

And tonight, she did so again. She was in an unknown house, in an unknown bedroom, guest to people she had just met. Sure, they had been helpful; they had tended to her wounds, offered her food and a roof. But in her experience, these kinds of goodwill always came with much less savory conditions.

And so, she did not sleep. She lied there on the bed, staring at the wall, hand firmly wrapped around her knife under the pillow, her body coiled like a spring, ready to fend off any attempt at extracting some payment in nature from her.

Even if the door was locked and had a chair pressed under the knob for good measure, she dared not relax. It would not be the first time her host broke the door down to get to her.

Every sound had her on high alert. Every cracking of the wood from the floor shifting slightly as it cooled down, every click from the leaves or branches coming to tap on the window, every breath or snore coming from the other rooms; she listened to them all, her mind spinning madly in an attempt to analyze their origins, their level of threat.

As she lied there, she thought again of the recent events, the strange turn her life was taking. Seeing Victoria again had certainly not been part of her plans when she told Damon she was quitting. Well, getting herself beaten up had not been part of those either, but she had expected something like that to happen.

She had not expected to find someone ready to help her that much, either. Let's face it, she had half expected to find herself at the mercy of a big fat and dirty driver who would only help her to have his way with her. She certainly had not expected a woman to drive that truck. And not one who could be the epitome of the Good Samaritan, however rebel and punk she looked. _Talk about the cover not fitting the book!_

Getting some normal job offer was something she had not even figured in her wildest dreams. And being invited into a temporary home with her own room? Had she died and went to heaven?

She was still conflicted about things. It seemed way too great to be true. Was there really a job she could learn to do in Victoria's company? Would the blonde really hire an ex prostitute, no questions asked? Would her hosts really let her stay here without trying to get their ways with her? Would David Madsen really let her be?

The man had seemed rough, burly, and prone to dislike her. Had he figured that she had some kind of history? He was clearly a cop, and Max had her own run with them. Between the shoplifting when she was homeless, the 'arrests' for solicitation, the 'bribes' some of the officers required from her to let her rule breaking slide; Max had come to be very wary of the fuzz. Would the man try to get from her what that asshole in Sacramento did? And how would he react if he heard her full name? It would be a sure way to confirm whether or not what Victoria had told her was true.

Max was still mulling these questions when she drifted slowly into sleep. Between the fighting, the running, the injuries and the drama; exhaustion finally caught up with her.


	12. Chapter 12 - One Afternoon

**A/N:**

 **Sorry I'm a week late on this one. I had some unexpected issues to deal with last week that prevented me from posting the chapter.**

 **However here we are a new chapter for our truckers!**

* * *

 **One Afternoon**

Her sleep had not been a restful one. It never was. While the nightmares had changed and their intensity had been reduced with time, they remained a fact. Just as how she woke up with a start, her limbs tangled into bed sheets soaked with her sweat, without remembering why, had become a fact of her life.

She remained there, sitting in the middle of the mattress, panting heavily as she slowly studied her surroundings. She needed a few more minutes to realize why the room was not familiar and finally relax.

 _At least, it looks like I haven't woken the full house with screams this time…._ She thought as she payed attention to the quietness around her.

A quick glance at an alarm clock by the bed told her it was still early, too early. But she did not feel like sleeping anymore. She tossed the bedding aside and slowly crawled out of bed, stretching carefully until her ribs told her to stop. _Yeah, still fucking peachy!_

She looked at the clothes lying by the bed, the ones she had discarded before going to bed. _Fuck! Not going to wear that anymore!_ With a sigh, she walked to the closet and the commode, opening both to search for something she could wear.

There was not much of a choice, of course; the original occupant had obviously taken her belongings with her, although Max thought the girl would probably be putting those back here soon enough. Thankfully, not everything had been taken away. Max managed to find some old jeans, although a tad too big and with a broken zipper, and an old white shirt with a faded hand giving the finger on the chest and a caption reading 'No Fuck Given!' amid what looked like a collection of stains going from grease to what looked like barbecue sauce. Not finding anything else, though, she slipped it on.

She checked herself in the mirror, realizing the shirt was easily two to three size too big for her – _might even have been too big for Chloe_ – resulting in the hem dropping close to her knees and the collar to reveal more of her throat that she expected, especially when now and then the fabric slipped away from her shoulder. _Well! At least my boobs are covered and no one will see that the zipper is broken!_

With a shrug, she walked over to the desk sitting by a window, covered with a clutter of various junk and memorabilia, and retrieved her few belonging.

Her lighter, cigarettes and cash quickly found their ways into her pockets. So did the switchblade as soon as she retrieved it from under the pillow. Unsure if she could smoke in the room, and in great need for one, she walked to the door, unlocking it, and headed downstairs trying to make as little noise as possible on the creaking stairs.

 _No one screamed. Good sign._

She carefully crept through the living room, pausing as she heard a loud snort coming from the pull out couch. She noticed the blue haired girl sprawled across the mattress, literally taking up all the space as she drooled on the pillow with a light snore.

Max rolled her eyes at the sight, wondering how the punk could take that much space when she usually slept on the small berth of her truck's cabin. Knowing she would never really get an answer, she tiptoed to the glass door, sliding one panel open and headed to the small yard.

The cool air, more like icy cold, quickly made her shiver as it brushed her skin. "Fuck! I forgot how cold it gets up there!" she muttered to herself as she began to rub her arms while looking for a sheltered spot to sit.

She remained there, looking at the stars - a nice change after the rain of the previous days – as she inhaled nicotine with some kind of blissful feeling while thinking about what to do next.

She knew she could just decide to pack and leave again, and part of her just wanted to do that; but she had said she would think about the job, and think was what she would do. The main problem is she had no idea of the various jobs Victoria would be able to offer, or what skills they may require from her. _And that doesn't even cover my motivation for the job itself! Fuck!_

She closed her eyes, her head leaning back to lean on the wall she was sitting by and sighed.

"You gonna get sick, you know?"

The voice startled her. She opened her eyes and quickly jerked her head, only to see the punk girl standing beside her, her own cigarette between her lips and what looked like a jacket in her hand.

"Here, take that. It's old and shitty, but beats pneumonia."

She slipped the jacket around Max' shoulders with a smirk before sitting next to her.

"Trouble sleeping?"

Max just stared at the sky. "Yeah… I'm used to it."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Just pondering about the next step." Max scoffed a bit. "Seems like I've been doing that for the past five years."

"Been there." Chloe nodded. "Any job caught your eyes?"

"As if… I'd need to know what jobs there are, first. Not that I think I got the skills for any."

The Punk turned to stare at Max with a frown. "I told you not to mind the skill part for now. Victoria will probably help you with that. And even if you decide not to take her offer, skills can be learned. Try thinking about what you want to do first."

Max groaned softly. Finding what she wanted was the hardest part. For years, all she had done was survive; doing the things she had to, accepting things she never ever imagined she would, in order to simply eat. She had no idea what kind of opportunity would be open.

"I don't know… What are the jobs you can get at some company like Victoria's?"

Chloe frowned a bit. "That's a toughie! I mean, obviously there are the drivers; but we don't operate in vacuum. We need mechanics to maintain our trucks in good order, sales reps to find our cargo, stevedores to load and unload. Then, you have the paper pushers, people who fill in the forms, manage customs and all that shit; the lawyers, because like roaches you can't find a fucking place without them; there's the dispatch too, people who coordinate who is going where to transport what..."

"Like Rachel?"

Chloe pursed her lips at the question. "Sort of. She's more on the communicating and relaying information, but yeah, she's working with the dispatch."

"I doubt I'd be welcome in her area."

"Probably not." Chloe smirked. "There's also the Human Resources Department, that's where Dana worked. Basically, you'd manage the new recruits, make sure they got their license, are up to date on their medical checkup and on a side note, battle with everyone over the wages you pay – because everyone will want to get more than they earned, and you would be pressured to give them less."

"I get the impression they aren't really liked."

"Well, let's just say Dana had some arguments to help her in the job that you probably would not." She smirked with a nod toward the pinkette's chest.

"Yeah, if I remember correctly, she would." Max groaned. "And I guess, threatening to gut people would not be well received."

"Well, I guess it would be efficient, but you'd probably end with an 80 000 pounds truck on your back!"

"Anything else?"

Chloe tried to think and winced as she thought of another job. "Well baring the assistants for that entire little world, you also got the bean counters. Now those are the really hated people. They are on your back for the gas you use AND try to suck your pay dry! Tell you, unless you're a vampire, you would not be cut for the job!"

Max laughed. She had not done so in a long time, and she did not know why she did, but she laughed at the picture of Dracula like people stalking other employee to suck their blood the bluenette put in her head.

"Okay, I got a better idea of what jobs are available." Max finally said as she settled down. She fished another cigarette from her pack and lit it up. "Doesn't tell me what I'd need nor what I'd want to do, but I guess it's a start."

Chloe shrugged, conceding the point. "Well, let's look at it another way. Can you read or write?"

"Of course! I've been to High School, even if I did not graduate." Max retorted with a bit of annoyance.

"Hey, not everyone can! Ask Fumi!"

"Who's that?"

"One of our drivers." Chloe explained. "She's from Japan, barely can read and write English. Hell, even speaking is a pain. But still she gets the job done."

"I see. I'm starting to think your job doesn't really require much." Max mused.

"Well, you got to be able to stay awake and concentrate for long ass hours while sitting on your own in a noisy cramped truck 24/7 365 days a year, and you gotta be able to know where you have to go and who you have to talk to and all that shit. And of course you've got to know how to drive!" Chloe smiled. "But on the other hand, you get to travel around the country, see stuff most people don't even dream of, and you are fucking free to stop when you want and where you want. Well, not totally free, but still. When I'm in my truck, I'm my own boss, and that's better than being in a fucking desk jockey, doing nine to seven every fucking day with the same fucking picture on the wall."

Max chuckled at how the girl showed her love for her work. "Sounds nice."

"That it is! Well, it's a tough job anyway, but you can think about it. Got your Class C license?"

Max frowned a bit at the question, remembering the day she finally got the final certificate from the Seattle's DMV office. "Yeah… Well I had it… Got the card just before everything went to hell in my life… I don't have it on me and I think it probably expired a couple months ago, anyway."

Chloe nodded. "You can still renew it for a few I think. Thing is, you'd need a Washington State address, and it won't help you much here as Oregon would have you retake the tests anyway."

"Might be better that way." Max agreed, not eager to have her parent's address listed on her license.

"I gotta go to the DMV soon, to change my residence too, thanks to breaking up. You can book an appointment there to take your exams for Class C. Will already be a good thing. Then, if you want, we can work on the commercial one." Chloe offered.

"Thanks… I guess I'd take you up on that, just... I have no proof of ID or residence here, either."

"Well, you can get your birth certificate online I guess, and I'm sure we can work a deal on the residence part. Oregon is simple in that thing, just need the person 'lodging you' to come and say they do."

"Okay." Max simply responded as she looked up at the stars again, finishing her cigarette as she pondered the offer. _Getting my license again would probably facilitate getting a job or moving away too, guess it'd be a good start._

* * *

Later that day, Max was in the backyard again, sitting on the swing, smoking and spending time as she had been left alone for a couple of hours in the Madsen's house.

Not being a weekend day, David had his usual duty watch to attend, and Joyce worked every days but Sundays at the town's Diner. As Max understood, Chloe was supposed to be off for what she called her thirty-six, whatever that meant; but the punk had still gone to the company's building to sort a few things out.

She had offered Max to come, of course, but seeing Victoria again this soon wasn't really appealing, not mentioning Rachel was bound to be there since Chloe said she should be working on that day. _Yeah, not really eager to deal with that mess either._

And so she spent the few hours either watching TV - which was actually worse and boring than she remembered – or staring at the sky; all the while thinking about the job she could request.

It was not that she was eager to get the job, nor that she would not enjoy kicking back and thinking about nothing; but it was just how she was when she was faced with such a decision, she could not stop thinking about it until the solution was found.

 _Well, it's better than thinking about stuff…._

"Oh, you're there! I thought you had left already."

The call startled her as the punk girl stepped through the glass door and joined her in the backyard. Apparently, Max had missed noticing she was back. _Not good. I got to be more attentive to my surroundings._

"I said I wouldn't." She chided back before taking a puff from her cigarette. "How did it go with… well, you know what."

The blue haired girl shrugged and came to sit on the nearby see-saw. "As good as it could, I guess. Got my planning for the coming days, and my pick-up truck with complimentary bags and suitcases – hope you won't mind if I put them up in the room."

Max shrugged. "It's your house."

"Yeah, well… Anyway no, no biggy. Some tension, groan and all. Oh, and Bitchtoria asked how you were doing. Told her to mind her own business, but that you did ask about the possible jobs…"

Max rolled her eyes. "She's probably afraid I'll disappear again."

"Which, as I said, isn't her business." Chloe added, before she reached in her back pocket. "By the way, I got you these." She added as she handed out two small handbooks.

Max frowned a bit as she took them and then quirked an eyebrow at the sight of the covers. "Should I take that as a sign?"

Chloe shook her head. "Nah… Just that we talked about the license stuff this morning and I figured you'd need the Driver Manual so you can just catch up on Oregon's way of doing things. The Commercial Driver Manual is just extra, in case you decide on following up on that."

"Geee, thanks… You got the same stuff for the office jobs?" Max chided with a chuckle.

"Not really, those are more on the job or college training, anyway. Not that you won't have more to learn if you go with the driver gig. That's just good for the license, doesn't really cover the rest of the job."

"Oh, like the picking up stranded girls and hitchhikers at truck stops and so on?" Max asked.

"Yeah, that's not really the job, either." Chloe responded while scratching the back of her head. "Anyway, I'm scheduled for a pick-up in Coos Bay in two days, then heading to Phoenix." She stood up, the swing giving out a creak. "Oh… and let me know if you wanna tag along. Bitchtoria said to offer. Also, said I had to warn her early so that she made the preparations…"

Max frowned and looked up, "I thought you only had one bed in your truck."

Chloe nodded. "Yep, just the one."

"I'm not sleeping in the same bed as you." Max hissed.

"What? I'm hurt! You don't think I'm cute enough? Or is it that you think you won't be able to control yourself if you are with me?" Chloe joked.

Max stared back at the bluenette. "I might be grateful for the help and all, but I'm not turning into your on board entertainment!"

"Relax Max! I'm kidding!" Chloe quickly defended with both hands raised in surrender. "I'm not counting on it at all. I mean, you're cute and all, but I just broke up and you got your own shit to deal with. So no, not really thinking about that." She then turned and began to walk toward the sliding door. "Boss said if you were coming, she'd have me take the truck that just came for one of our new hire. The girl won't start before a couple weeks, so we can use her rig, which has two beds."

She paused by the door, looking back. "I guess your ex isn't really hot at the idea of us sharing a bed either." She winked at her words before disappearing.

* * *

"Say, mind me asking something?"

The question came as she was preparing snacks, bringing bowls of chips, doritos, popcorn, and much more to the living-room. Chloe rose her head and quirked an eyebrow. "Sure. Shoot!"

The pinkette was busy unpacking the beer and putting them in an icebox by the table as she grumbled. "Why did you decide to invite people over again? I mean, I know you said it's to watch the game, but doesn't tell me why it has to be here… Or why I have to be there."

Chloe smiled. Part of the question was easy to answer. "Well one of our highschool friends was drafted by the Seahawks this year, and I found out he was on the roster for tonight. So I invited the entire gang to come and watch his awesome debut!"

The pinkette pondered a moment, obviously not as thrilled by the prospect of watching a game as the Punk could expect. "I see… And I have to be here, because?"

 _Because you need to make friends and see not all people are there to get you._ Chloe would not say it out loud of course, but that was what had triggered her decision to make the party in her parent's house. She had been talking with Kate, well texting, to try and set up a meeting between her ward and the shell of a brunette the blonde nurse was taking care of. But the way Max had been isolating herself in the bedroom when she wasn't out in the back smoking was also bothering Chloe. The girl clearly was avoiding everyone, and that was not a good sign.

"Well, two reasons. First, most of them work for the Dicktoria…So it would be nice for you to meet them, no?" She smiled before adding with a sadder tone. "Second, Dana needs to get out of the ditch she's crawling into. And I thought it would be nice for her to be with friends."

The pinkette's face clearly showed mixed feelings at her words. It looked to Chloe as if the girl was struggling between worries for a friend and fear of meeting another reminder of her past. She grunted as she finished placing the beer in the box and collapsed the cardboard they had come with.

"Did…. Did something happen to Dana?" She finally asked, her eyes away from Chloe, as if she was ashamed. "I mean, the nurse… Kate, said she wasn't in a good place too."

Chloe placed the bowl of guacamole on the table and sat on the couch with a sigh. "Her fiancé died a couple weeks ago. His brakes gave up as he was driving down the Siskiyou Pass and his truck didn't make it to the escape ramp. Apparently the trailer's emergency valve popped up and the wheels locked in the middle of a curve sending the whole combine off the road. The truck hit the central barrier and went over it while tumbling. He didn't make it."

Max stood, her eyes wide. "Wow… Do… do they know why the brakes gave up?"

Chloe shrugged. "Not really, cops didn't really look closely. They blamed him for not checking them, too, which pleased the insurance company greatly since they don't have to pay a cent. But the thing is Trev was thorough with the pre-drive inspections. The real issue is… He just got the truck from another driver who got upgraded and it makes things complicated."

Max frowned a bit. Complicated seemed to be a constant wherever she went. "How so?"

Chloe sighed. "Let's just say the guy is very close to some bigshot business man who gives a lot of money around, and that the same asshole made a forceful pass at Dana the very day after she buried her fiancé."

"Holy shit!"

"Yep. Anyway, she's still taking in the shock."

"Tell me that asshole's not coming." Max simply stated.

"Nah, I'd rather not see my mom's house turned into a murder scene which, judging by our friends' mood, would pretty much be the results."

Max nodded and walked toward the sliding door, reaching in her pocket. "Can't believe Victoria hired a guy like that."

Chloe hesitated a moment and decided to follow. "Yeah, she didn't really get a choice. When she started the company, she had to get a bit of cash from her in-laws and… The guy was attached to the strings that came with it. He's a liability to everyone and Asscott Senior wasn't really pleased to have him as an employee; but he's Nathan's best friend – and maybe he has some dirt on him, too – so the old dick couldn't get rid of him either… He's also the one making sure the sucker stays out of troubles..."

"Yeah well, still… The Victoria I knew would not have kept him around." Max just flatly responded.

"Max… I'm not sure how she was before, but since I've known her, Victoria has been something of a chimera. A mix between the strong juggernaut, not letting anyone get in the way of her goals, and the broken wreck of someone whose world had come apart without her being able to do anything about it." She sighed a bit. "She had to make compromises and trust me, she never liked it. But at the same time, I think she thought she deserved the headache too, like it was some kind of punishment." She shrugged. "She's been getting better though, I guess Rachel had a big role in that… And I think, you being back will help, too."

Max shook her head. "I'm not going back to her. I'm not the girl she knew, either. Not anymore."

Chloe smirked. "Well, everyone changes. I mean, years ago, I was a punk dropout always getting in troubles. And today, I'm probably the most law abiding trucker you could find." She chuckles. "Don't worry about it. And you don't have to get back in her pants if you don't want to. Besides, if Nathan ever touched her, I'd not want to get in her pants… never know what you'd catch…"

"You think she'd let him?" Max pondered a moment.

"Victoria? Let a dude touch her? She may have thought she deserved being forced into that marriage, but trust me, if he'd even tried, she'd have cut his balls off. And the dude was fucking some of Victoria's friends the day I found you in my trailer. So I'm pretty sure he still has them!"

"A shame."

Chloe chuckled at the disgust pouring in Max' voice. _The girl obviously hates the dudes._ She was about to say something when the first guest knocked on the door.


	13. Chapter 13 - Friends(?)

**Friends(?)**

The guests had begun to show up just a few minutes after they had finished setting up everything. The first to show up had been someone she had never met, a brunette with olive skin, a dragon necklace, some fantasy illustrated shirt and a blue, white and flashy green beanie.

"Steph! I thought you couldn't come!" Chloe had greeted just after opening the door, making the brunette smirk.

"Yeah… well, I nearly didn't. I mean, Fumi supposed to be back tonight after nearly two weeks so…" The girl blushed in a way Max found cute, as she watched things from afar.

"Yeah, I can see what you mean." Chloe had cheerfully teased.

"But at the same time, it's a Hawk's game, and Drew's playing with the big boys for the first time… Can't really miss it!" the girl finally announced.

"Yep! No excuses!" Chloe nodded before waving the girl inside. "Come on in. You're the first here anyway."

Max, still standing in her corner by the glass door, watched both young women walk toward the living room.

"Max!" Chloe called. "I want you to meet one of the best fucking artists in the country, Stephanie Gingrinch!" The bluenette announced with her hands holding the brunette's shoulders as she pushed the girl forward. "She's the one who designed the paint on my truck, and… did this awesome piece on my arm."

Max looked at the girl, trying to decide in which category to put her. "Oh… hi…"

Chloe shook her head. "Steph, this is Max, no last name."

Steph looked back at Chloe, then at Max before offering her hand. "Let me guess, Smurf head here picked you up along the way while you were hitchhiking."

Max chuckled at the nickname before she shook her head. "Not really… She found me in her trailer, long story." She said, pursing her lips as she tried to decide whether to shake the offered hand or not.

"Well, I'm sure it must be quite the tale!" Steph said before removing her hand with a smile. "You can call me Steph, everyone does."

Max nodded, feeling a bit of relief. "I'm Max."

"Well met, Max. You really have no last name?" Steph asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I have one, but… It's complicated."

Chloe smiled at the girl before interrupting. "Yeah, probably a couple people tonight can tell us… Well, one at least… not sure if the second will come."

"Oh! You know some of the crowd?" Steph asked Max with curiosity.

"I…"

*Ding Dong*

 _Saved by the bell!_ Max thought as someone rang from the front door. "I'll… I'll go get it." Max hesitantly said, before she walked away.

She did not know why she volunteered; after all she was bound not to know anyone who would show. She just felt the need to avoid being alone with the brunette, or any other guests that should show up. _Will be a long fucking night!_

She opened the door without really looking, her eyes wandering toward the stairs as she pondered about making an escape and locking herself up in the bedroom. As a result, she did not see the light brown mess of hair above the familiar face, despite its raw and unusually unkempt state, before the broken voice cut through the silence.

"Ma… Ma… Maxine? Is… Is that …"

Before she could even realize, Max felt the girl tackling her, arms crushing her in a bear hug, mashing her small body in a way that forced her face against a large and soft cleavage, giving her a flashback of better times.

* * *

"Is that spot free?"

The cheerful yet unexpected voice had broken her usual pre-class daydreaming. Maxine had not been used to see anyone talk to her. She was not really shunned or bullied or anything like that; but she was shy and tended to remain in her own little corner, doing whatever without bothering people and without people bothering her. So of course she had not expected anyone to talk to her that morning, and it took her a few seconds to react.

Not that her reaction had been that much of a move. As she turned her eyes from the class's window, she found herself staring straight at a pair of budding breasts that already forewarned of their future. Maxine had not been that old, barely 12, and she had not really had the chance to see the evolutions of the female silhouette on someone her own age. To say she was unprepared would have been an understatement.

Had she faced any other girl with their prepubescent shapes - one she sadly would still carry years later – she probably would have reacted differently. As it was she found herself staring at the two forming orbs, eyes wide and mouth gaping as she let out a confused "Whayaa?"

She had not even realized her own messy response before the girl in front of her began to giggle. Not that it helped the suddenly crimson brunette, as she became embarrassingly aware of the way both mounds began to shake with each of their owner's laughs. In the end, Maxine swallowed, although still unable to move her eyes from the chest, and tried again.

"What?"

The girl leaned a bit forward, trying to look at Maxine's eyes, which caused the brunette's heart to skip a couple of beats. "Is that chair taken?" The girl asked with her hand pointing at the place beside Max.

"Euh… yes… I mean no…" Maxine began to stutter. "I mean… no one's using it, so you can take it."

The girl giggled as she pulled the chair to sit. "You're funny." She announced as she took her place and began to unpack her books.

Maxine's eyes lingered a bit on the girl's chest but soon she had to raise them toward her new neighbor's face. She thought the girl was gorgeous, with her brown hair, her finely shaped face, her nice lips and such delicate eyes.

 _Dog, what's wrong with me… I … I'm stuttering like Carolyn did when she met Oliver! I mean, this is a girl!_

"I'm Dana, by the way! I just moved here with my family, so I don't know much! Hope we can be friends!" The girl kept talking, although Maxine wasn't certain she actually followed what was said.

"I… Maxine…" She said softly.

The brunette hung with Maxine for the rest of the day. And the day after that. And the day after that. In the end, Maxine and Dana had begun to spend their days together at school, chatting, laughing, helping each other with homework.

Maxine always felt her heart soar when she saw the cheerful face of her friend. She always felt something different when she was with her.

 _Is it really only friendship? I never felt like that with the others?_

Soon, though, Dana began to do what nearly every girls of their age do, talking about boys. For some reasons, that made Maxine uncomfortable. She had never really paid attention to boys and she still did not found herself interested in them much. But hearing Dana speak about them actually gave her pause.

"Really, he's so great! Don't you think so, Maxine! Look at him! And the way he rides his board!"

Maxine nodded with a smile at each of the gushes from her friend.

"And did you know he managed to slide all along the long ramp near the Mall? You know, the one that goes along the spiral stairs! We all thought he'd fall!"

But truly, she felt unhappy, she felt like a pinch, like something was pressing on her chest.

"That must have been dangerous! He's crazy! What if he hurt himself?" Maxine shuddered as she responded, both from the idea of seeing someone hurt, and the darkest part of her that also hoped the boy would break his neck.

 _Geeze, I'm really feeling jealous…. Is… Is it really that I think of Dana as more than a friend? I mean … am I … attracted to her?_

"I suppose so… But he did it without falling so…. Anyway, I'm thinking of inviting him to Jennifer's party next Saturday! Do you think he would say yes?" Dana inquired, not realizing that with her words Maxine could hear some kind of glass shattering in her chest.

 _Shit! I hate that guy!_

"I… I dunno… But he would be a fool if he didn't. I mean, you are so great, anyone would want to go with you!"

 _I think I would love to go with you…_ The little Maxine thought in herself, still unsure about her own feelings.

"Thank you Maxine! You're such a great Best Friend!" With her exclamations, the cheerful brunette quickly grabbed the smaller girl and pulled her in a crushing hug, forcing the brunette's face into her budding cleavage and causing Maxine to gasp as all her blood suddenly rushed to her face, and a sinking warmth filled her belly.

 _Shit… Okay… I'm gay!_

Was all Maxine could think of as she found herself trapped into the first of many such hugs.

* * *

 _The evening isn't going too bad so far._ Chloe thought to herself as she looked around at the gathered crowd. It wasn't a big crowd - she did not have that many friends – but it was already enough to fill her living room.

She smiled as she threw a glance at the pinkette sitting beside Dana on the sofa. The reaction of both girls had been epic, stuff from legends that would probably remain engraved in the friends' memory. It had actually been pretty hilarious to see how Dana had immediately pulled Max's face straight to her cleavage. _That lucky girl! I'd love to motorboat those!_

It had also been pretty funny to see how the girl, who had been so strong in her wish to push everyone away, had found herself completely frozen as soon as Dana had grabbed her.

The hug must have struck a chord though, because the pinkette had begun to relax and then shudder. It had been pretty unsettling, even for Chloe, to see the girl cry. And boy did she cry. The girl who had barely winced when Chloe had cleaned her wounds and, judging by how Kate had reacted when leaving the offices after the checkup, had suffered a lot more without really showing it, had bawled like a baby in Dana's embrace.

 _She did cry a river there… Well, with those two mountains, I guess a river is the right word… Or a waterfall!_

Chloe smirked at her humor. It took a moment for both girls to part, both with their eyes full of tears, both releasing pent-up emotions they had probably kept inside them for so long. _If I remember, Max had been away for years… I wonder if she had any other friends… Doubt it or she'd be much less prone to the pack and dash protocol._

Chloe took a sip of her beer and turned toward the kitchen where Kate was busy cutting some homemade pie.

"Seems they needed to see each other, right?" She asked softly, drawing the girl's eyes.

"I think so. I think Dana needed that. She was really depressed lately, brooding about losing those that were important to her. I'm glad she found one of those back."

Chloe nodded softly. "Yeah… And I guess Max needed that as well… "

Kate nodded while casting a glance toward the door leading to the living-room. "How has she been? Any pain?"

Chloe pursed her lips a moment. "Not sure, honestly. She didn't seem to be that much in pain actually. On the other hand, she didn't seem to sleep much. She spent most of her time either locked in my old bedroom or in the backyard. And when I see her, she's staring at nothing, you know…"

Kate nodded, pursing her lips in a way that told Chloe that something bothered her. "She… She really went through a lot. I'm sure she needs time to readjust." The small blonde finally admitted.

"Yeah, I kinda figured. She's been thinking about possible jobs. I guess it's a good sign."

"Is she planning on staying then?" Kate asked with a concerned look toward Dana.

The bluenette shrugged. "No fucking clue… Bitchtoria offered her a job and the training for it… All I know is she's been thinking about it."

Kate nodded. "Good."

Chloe took another look at the TV screen, seeing the commercials running as the game was about to start. She checked to see if all the guests were there or if she should expect interruptions. Justin and Frank were sipping beer in a couple of folding chairs, Dana and Max were on the sofa, Victoria and Rachel would probably not come – for obvious reasons – and Steph… "Have you seen Steph?" She asked, frowning as she lost sight of the girl.

Kate pondered a second before replying. "I think I saw her and Fumi head for the bathroom."

Chloe groaned. "You must be kidding!"

"What?" Kate asked, a bit confused by the reaction. "I mean it's not so weird, Fumi's been on the road all day so it's normal she needs to use the toilets."

Chloe shook her head. "Fumi's also been on the road for the past two weeks, and I think she has other needs."

"Other needs?" Chloe could almost see the gears spin in the blonde's head as she thought about it, and the moment they froze on the answer when her eyes widened in realization. "Oh!... You think they are…"

Chloe groaned. "Really, Kate? You know they already have a hard time keeping their hands out of each other's pants when they see each other every day, what makes you think they would not defile my mother's bathroom after two weeks apart?"

"Errr… I suppose you do have a point." The blonde replied with a blush as Chloe quickly made her way to the stairs.

Soon enough, Chloe's voice could be heard resonating through the house. "God damn you, Steph! Fumi! You fucking horny nymphomaniac bitches better stop doing your unspeakable things in my mother's house! Can't you wait to be in your own fucking bedroom or at least in your fucking truck before you shove your tongue into each other's twat?!"

* * *

Max had felt more and more lost as the evening went on. The shock of her reunion with her best friend Dana had been enough to send her mind into an emotional roller-coaster which had gone further into confusion as other guests had joined.

The first surprise – well, if one ignored the emotional nuke with at least a D cup – had been the men. Max had expected them to be handsy, pushy and act like horny idiots with a buffet of available girl in front of them. But they had been rather subdued, sharing prognostic about the game while sipping beer without making a move toward the girls except the usual greetings and show of support toward Dana.

The other surprise had been the small Asian girl others seemed to call Fumi. Probably having trouble to reach five foot while standing on a chair with both arms above her head – okay, not really, but still! – the diminutive girl with her bright white and orange tinted hair, her flashy tattoos and numerous piercings barely subdued by the too large tank top that barely hid anything, had entered the house like a cheerful tornado, catching and carrying Steph as the girl greeted her with gleeful shriek and pounce, quickly cut by a passionate and steamy make-out that were enough to put condensations on every glass surface in the house. And while Chloe's outburst had made everyone laugh, and Max had to admit she did laugh with all of them, the way both girls sat in the armchair, with Steph draped on the smaller girl hands, groping here and there under each other's shirt while they nibbled at each other's throat even as they watched the game, had been a bit uncomfortable.

The game itself had nothing much to it. Seattle was playing one of their longtime rivals, the 49ers, but the team in full rebuilding was just keeping ahead of their nemesis. And even with the loud cheers given by the small group when they saw a young Corner Back entering the field - probably one of their friends seeing how they kept calling "DREW! DREW!"; Max could not help but think about other similar situations, where she and her family were gathered in their living-room to watch one of the Seahawks' game.

She was still struggling to forget about those, not helped by the lull of a boring punt and kick festival. Max scoffed as San Francisco was about to punt yet again, in the late 4th quarter. Except this time the game actually turned different. As both Special teams faced each other, Seattle's receiver, Tyler Lockett, caught the ball on the fringe of the outbound line and ran madly toward the 49ers' side. Everyone thought the 'turncoat' – as they called him – Richard Sherman would stop him, but the young Seattle Corner suddenly came and pounced at the veteran, blocking him in such a way the runner ended up with a free run toward the end zone.

Everyone in the living-room cheered loudly, making Max wince at the deafening screams. "Oh my god! Drew got one over Richard Fucking Sherman!" Chloe exclaimed while high-fiving with the young blonde boy called Justin.

The group barely had time to quiet down though, the first play after the following kick-off, as San Francisco's Quarterback threw a medium pass to the left, the same Corner soared right in front of the receiver, catching the ball as if it had been intended for him and dashed through the field unopposed, eliciting another round of cheers, accompanied by Chloe's jumping on the couch and Steph humping the doll sized girl that actually stood carrying the brunette as if she weighted nothing.

And as if to deliver a killing blow, just a few seconds later during the following kick off, the same Corner managed to dodge Richard Sherman's block, zooming toward San Francisco's receiver and delivering such a powerful tackle, the ball shot out from the player's arms. The young player - which Max gathered was named Drew, considering all the shout and cheers the others were screaming - jumped to his feet to get the fumbled ball and ran the few yards separating him from the goal unchallenged.

If the group had been out of themselves with the two previous plays, this one threatened to collapse the roof as they celebrated.

* * *

Max was sitting outside again, cherishing the short period of loneliness, as the others were celebrating their friend's success. The game was over. It had ended quite a while ago already, and the guests had gone home – or at least to their truck, seeing that Max had not heard the rumbling bass of the Peterbilt 389 truck parked in front yet.

"How was your evening?" The punk girl asked, handing her a beer before sitting herself next to her.

"It was… Interesting…" Max responded, looking at the sky again while opening the bottle.

"That's all? Don't tell me you weren't happy to see Dana. I would not believe you after all the bawling you both made."

Max shook her head. "It was nice to see her, yes… Never thought I would… And… Well it's less complicated than with Victoria…" She sighed softly. "Still… It's not like it doesn't bring back memories I'd rather ignore."

Chloe nodded. "Memories of better times?"

"More like memories of how it all crashed and burnt." Max responded, biting at her nails between two sips from her beer. She kept looking at the sky, as if pondering. "Maybe I should just pack and leave…"

"Where would you go?" Chloe simply asked with a tone that sounded more like a 'here we go again'.

"No fucking idea…. Somewhere, far from all this." Max knew her voice was betraying her hesitations, her confusion.

"And what would you do there?" Chloe inquired. "Have you got a better job offer? I thought you had no qualifications whatsoever."

"Well, I have some, although those would be last resort." Max shrugged. "I dunno… I'll manage somehow I guess."

The punk sighed. "I get the feeling all you're trying to do is run away again."

Max groaned. "I suppose… But what's wrong with running from pain?"

Chloe sighed. "I think it's only human, but will it really help in this case?" The punk paused, pulling a cigarette from a box and lighting it up. "I mean, Dana and Victoria aren't the source of your pain – at least Dana isn't. So running away from them would not help you much. Trust me, I've been there."

The pink-haired girl looked down for a moment, obviously not convinced.

"I lost my dad when I was 14. He was the best dad ever and I loved him a lot, so it's been hard as hell." The punk confided. "I've tried to run for years, hoping to get away from the pain, but in the end all I ran away from were the people trying to help me. The pain itself, it's in you, in your memories. You can run away as much as you want, it'll always be there with you. After all, you can't really run away from yourself."

The girl still said nothing, probably thinking about the words she was just told.

 _There's some truth to that._ She had to admit to herself. _Still doesn't really mean I got to stay here._

Not wanting another argument, Chloe sighed and spoke again. "Okay, listen. Why don't you just come with me for my rotation this week? This way you'll be able to take some distance to think it through. We know Victoria offered it so she won't give you shit for leaving so soon, you'll get away, travel without worries, see the world and discover one of the possible jobs you could settle for." The punk beamed at Max. "That's about four birds with one stone, pretty good deal if you ask me."

The pinkette bit her nail again for a minute. "Okay… Guess it's as good a way as any other to get away."


	14. Chapter 14 - On the road (again)

**On the road (again)**

The day had not really risen as they stepped out of the old decrepit pick-up truck. Once again, Max found herself on the parking of Chase Freight Ltd, not even a week after her dramatic arrival. She walked along the vehicle, reaching in the bed for the duffle bag she had packed the day before. It was not much, but it was more than she had brought with her last time, after all she only had the clothes she had been wearing.

The day before, Chloe and her mother, Joyce, insisted on taking her shopping for more clothes. "You need something to cover yourself, girl!" the older woman had insisted. "You can't keep dressing as you did, not if you really are serious about changing your life."

Max had to admit Joyce had a point. And she had no qualms about changing her wardrobe. No, the issue was more that the woman and her daughter were insisting on paying for it; and Max did not want to be in the debt of anyone.

Unfortunately for her, as stubborn as her Irish blood made her, the Southern blood made Joyce Madsen even worse. The woman had even threatened to buy the clothes without Max being present, then burn what Max had and let her go naked – "not that it would make that much of a difference" – until she decided to wear what Joyce gave her.

So, Max had to compromise. It had been a struggle, but she had managed to switch the shopping trip from Walmart and Target to the local thrift store. And she had put a limit to a couple of old jeans and hoodies, a pair of old snickers and a few cotton panties and shirt. The woman had raised a pondering eyebrow as Max told her she did not need bras, to which Max had responded "I barely have any breasts to begin with and I haven't worn any for years, so not like I'm missing."

Chloe had giggled loudly at that, although she did indicate she disagreed about the lack of breasts point.

All in all, the shopping trip had maybe costed some fifty to a hundred bucks, which Max did not have. Not fully at least. She had been prepared to give all her remaining cash, to help cover part of the bill. Joyce finally relented and took half of her meager funds, and the promise of a prompt pay back – although the way she accepted it clearly told she did not really care about it.

And so, Max was there, with everything she owned now in a bag instead of on her shoulders. Well the bag was on her shoulders so; maybe she did carry all she owned on them. She smirked at the thought as she waited for the Punk girl who was lifting a much bigger bag.

She waited for the tall bluenette to join up with her, watching the row of parked trucks.

"Which one did she say we would use?"

Chloe shrugged. "Beats me. We're not using mine, and it's supposed to be a brand-new rig." She looked at the parking for a moment.

It was hard to judge the states of the trucks in the dark of the wintery night, but there were not many options present anyway. Chloe's usual rig, the one Max had traveled in was parked beside a couple more modern looking trucks. Seeing as those were the only ones present, Max figured it would be one of those two. Unfortunately, it had snowed during the night and both were covered with a layer of white powder that prevented to really judge which was brand new and which was not.

"Oh well, I'll go check in with the bitch… You want to come inside? At least get out of the cold and get some coffee."

Max pondered. Getting out of the cold would feel nice sure, but the risk of meeting Victoria was high, too high, for her current state of mind. "Nah… I'll wait by the door and smoke one."

"As you wish."

* * *

"Okay, just put your bag somewhere in the back for now." The punk said as she climbed into the truck's cab, checking it before she moved her bag and dropped it on one of the face-to-face seats in the back.

"I thought there would be two beds." Max asked as she eyed the cabin. All she could see was a table with two small couches and what looked like a board that could be lowered, hinged on the back wall.

"Oh? Oh yes. Wait a sec." Chloe said before looking down at the table. There was a soft clang and then the table lowered itself coming in perfect line up with the seats. "The back rest of the couches are supposed to come fill the middle and form a full mattress." She explains.

"Probably not that comfy." Max frowned.

"Yeah not a real bed I know." The punk said scratching her head with embarrassment.

"It's fine. Better than the floor anyway."

Chloe almost asked how the pinkette knew how uncomfortable the floor would be, but she held it back. She knew Max had had a troubled past and part of it probably was as a homeless person. "Well yeah. Anyway, we got storing compartments below the seats, take one for your stuff, I'll take the other. We also got a mini fridge here, and a cupboard there." She indicated pointing each component. "I suggest we put snacks and stuff there as we'll need to reach them more often."

Chloe looked around the cabin for a moment. "We need to get a couple things from my Truck, care to help me?"

They both stepped down and moved to the Truck parked next to them. Chloe quickly climbed in and dived into the cab, cursing as she reached to unplug her small microwave, her small tv and the Xbox set. Working in the small space was hard but she managed to untie the straps holding each device safely to the truck. She coiled the wires and then handed the small oven to Max. "Can you take this to the other truck? Just put it on the seat for now." She added as she moved her TV set closer to the door.

Moving the items from truck did not take long, it was mainly annoying, and she cursed a few times as she tried to put them in the tiny stowage area. Max looked at her with a raised eyebrow that seemed to ponder why she bothered. So, Chloe smirked. "Hey, we got to spend thirteen hours without driving every day, you'll see, you'll be happy to have something to do other than sleeping."

"I didn't say anything." The Pinkette simply responded with a scoff.

Once she finished her work, Chloe stood and nodded. "Okay, got to do the pre-trip inspection. Wanna see how it works?"

The girl looked at the window. "I… don't know…"

Chloe shrugged. "Well feel free to join and sit here. No biggy."

She shuffled back to the driving area and took a pair of working gloves from the door's stowage before she climbed down.

Closing her door, Chloe reached on the fender, for the latch holding the hood. She then walked around the nose of the truck and reached for the second latch, unclipping it. She returned in front of the Truck and with a grunt reached for a small recess in the hood and pulled. The hood, mainly made of fiberglass, was easier to swing open than the all metallic one from her Truck, but she still needed all her weight to move it.

Returning to the door, she opened it and retrieved her flashlight, flicking it on before she moved to look inside the engine compartment.

The truck was new, and it showed. The engine was clean, without the usual grit and grease; the frame, without a speck of mud or dirt, was painted a shiny black. Chloe checked the fluid levels, not expecting any discrepancies. She then leaned over the large wheel, checking the suspension and the brake. _Everything seems okay. Would be surprising if it wasn't but never know._

She walked around the truck again, going for the other side of the engine compartment and leaned inside again, engine, frame, suspension, steering, brake; all of those she controlled for signs of possible breaks or defect.

She had been bent over the large tire, checking the inside of the wheel, when she heard the voice.

"Why are you even doing this in the cold?"

She jerked as she had not expected it, bumping her head on something – probably the exhaust manifold – before she responded with a grunt. "Once we take our cargo, this truck will weight close to 40 tons and we will drive it around 55 to 60 miles per hour. Not sure you realize how bad it could be if something were to break. Better to check for signs before we get underway."

She pulled back and turned to look at Max, who frowned at her.

"I thought this truck was new."

"Well, it is… But if you decide to join our merry band and do it like Pruitt, you'll learn that those inspections are mandatory." Chloe shrugged as she reached to slowly let the hood back down. "Besides, being new doesn't mean some dimwit in some factory didn't screw it up, or that something didn't move in a way it should not while they transported it here, right? Better you see a problem before the DOT guys find it in one of their controls… much cheaper than the fines they give you."

Max simply stared, pursing her lips. Chloe moved to the driver's door and reached up turning the key in the ignition. The diesel engine caught quickly, rumbling steadily with a much quieter sound than her Kenworth. _Urg, modern trucks… no fun!_

She reached and flicked the trucks lights on then closed the door. She began to walk around, circling the vehicle slowly, moving her flashlight along its frame, checking for leaks, for holes. She inspected the frame and the rear suspension carefully, checked the brakes before moving to inspect the fifth wheel.

As expected, nothing was amiss, the truck was new. She moved back, inspecting the lights making sure they all worked properly and moved to the other side moving toward the front.

She checked everything, taking advantage of her inspection to secure the latches of the hood, and nodded.

"Okay we seem to be good." She said as she joined with Max in front of the purring truck.

"What kind of truck is this? It looks different."

"This is a Volvo VNL. It's European. It's said to be comfortable and all, but I find it rather ugly. Besides," she reached and knocked on the flank, creating a soft plastic sound, "it's completely made of plastic."

"That doesn't sound very solid."

"Well, it's not. But it's lighter which means you use less gas, so it pleases the vampires from accounting." She pointed to her truck. "Mine is what we call a classic. It's not that old, but it looks like the old trucks from old time. It's also metallic, and much more beautiful right?"

Max shrugged as she looked at it, then pointed to another truck nearby. "This one doesn't look bad either. At least it doesn't look like some cube someone chipped there and there."

Chloe barked a laugh. The girl had pretty much summarized how she thought the Volvo had been designed. "Yeah, well if you decide to work as a driver, you can ask for whatever truck you want. Don't expect it to be gold platted but seeing as we spent most of our lives in them, Dicky is not picky and will usually let you decide."

"I see."

That was probably all she would get from the girl.

"Okay let's board, we got to move and get the trailer too."

As they climbed inside and took their seat, Chloe suddenly frowned at the tablet that began screaming an alarm and flash as she began to move the tractor truck.

"What the Fuck is that?" She swore quickly stopping the truck and looking up. The tablet stopped flashing and prompted a log in request. It took her a few minutes before she slapped her hand on her forehead. "Oh shit! I forgot." She stood quickly and shuffled in the back digging in the storage for some binder.

"My old truck doesn't have that system yet, not that I'll escape it much longer." She explained with a grumble as she flicked pages in the binder. "Ah Ah! Let's see…" She started entering information on the tablet and the screen beeped and showed the next screen. "There we go…" She selected another icon and the board spoke.

"Welcome, you have 11 hours remaining."

The driver grunted. "Yeah, yeah! Shaddup!" She pushed the parking brake FOB again and started to drive the truck toward the parked trailers. "I swear… I used to dream about having a talking car… you know, like KITT in Knight Rider… Never thought the talking car would turn out to be more like Big Brother than cool robot."

Max simply shrugged before pointing out. "It's a girl's voice."

Chloe looked at her with a frown. "Fine, Big Sister it is then!"

* * *

Getting the trailer attached had not taken that long. It had not been as fast as both girls expected, and they had needed a mechanic to come help defrost the mechanism used to pull the legs up. But beside that, the 53 feet long reefer box checked out perfectly for its intended use.

They began their trip down the coast for the town of Coos Bay the truck moving carefully on the slippery road. Chloe was not taking chances. She did not know the truck, did not trust it fully yet; and not knowing how it would react, she would take extra precautions.

She had to admit the truck was comfortable, the wheel was smooth, and the engine had good responses. She had a few qualms though, as she found herself often revving a bit more than she liked, tricked by the much softer sound the truck gave in the cabin. In fact, she hated it. To her a truck was supposed to make a certain noise and that 'toy' was barely purring.

The girl on the passenger's seat had remained quiet most of the way, her eyes staring toward the ocean that was barely visible on the truck's right as they went down the US 101.

 _Probably musing about life._ Chloe thought as she drove a leisure pace averaging 45mph.

It was just before sunrise when the tablet pinged catching both girl's attention. Chloe reached and pressed a finger on the flashing mail icon and swore as she read the message.

"What is it?" Max asked a bit worried they had been recalled.

"Just some update on the charter." Chloe grunted as she reached to look at the GPS map. "Seems the client added a refrigerated clause to the request."

"Oh.. is it bad?"

"Not really. But it means we got to stop." She tapped an indicated parking spot on the map and bit her lip. "I hope the reefer's tank isn't empty or we are screwed."

Max looked at the driving punk. "Why is that?"

Chloe's attention went back to the road ahead. "Well the next gas station is in Coos Bay and the trailer might need time to get to the requested temp, which I cannot do without the gas for the reefer unit." She sighed. "Wish they'd learn to give all the info when requesting the pick-up, not at the last minute."

Max pondered a moment. "Does it happen often?"

Chloe scoffed. "All the time. We actually are lucky they even added the clause before we arrived there." She then put her blinker on the right before slowing her truck and directing it slowly to a long parking spot on the side of the road. She stopped the consist and pulled both brake fobs on the dashboard.

"I'm going to turn the unit on, should not be long so feel free to stay warm." She announced as she popped the door open and took her gloves.

She climbed down and closed the door, moving toward the trailer to check the reefer unit's tank, giving it a few taps. She frowned at the hollow sound. The tank had some gas in it, but it would not be that much. "Of course…" she muttered as she walked to the front of the trailer reaching for the control panel.

After a few manipulations, the engine of the reefer unit started and she hurried to climb back into the cab. "Shit it's cold!" she announced as she took her seat.

"Probably cold enough you would not need a fridge." Max simply said, eyes casting a quick glance at the driver then darting away as if they had caught something embarrassing.

Chloe smirked as she drove the truck back on the road. "You are probably right. It's definitely nippy!" she chuckled. "Anyway, we will have to stop to refill the trailer's tank." She checked the dashboard's clock. "Might not make us late, but it'll be tighter."

* * *

"Chase! You're good to go!" A beefy man with an overgrown belly and balding head called from the side door of the small waiting room.

Max and Chloe stood from the uncomfortable plastic chairs they had been sitting on waiting for the truck to be loaded by the docking crew. It had surprised Max when Chloe told her they had to leave the truck because that specific client refused to let the truckers around while they loaded.

She could understand that they wanted for insurance reasons to avoid any incident with the truck drivers but at the same time Max found it illogical. After all wouldn't the trucker have to pull forward a bit and then move around their truck in order to close the trailer's doors?

Well it was the rules of that company and they would follow them, spending an hour in a crappy room, sitting on a crappy chair and drinking crappy coffee. "It's not all pretty and nice and smelling roses." Chloe had told her with a shrug.

And indeed, it did not smell of roses. After all, fishes did not smell that nice. In a way Max was grateful she did not have to get into the trailer with the pallets of stacked fishes. The stench had already crushed the poetic morning of the sun rising behind the Coos Bay lighthouse as they were stopped to refuel both the truck and the trailer – because if you had to stop, you might as well do it only once.

Another fifteen minutes and they were leaving the harbor area. Chloe reached to turn on the radio as they entered the 101 again and the speaker began to sing.

 _"_ _On the road again!_

 _Just can't wait to get on the road again._

 _The life I love is making music with my friends_

 _And I can't wait to get on the road again…"_

Both girls looked at each other for a second before bursting on laughing as they both sang with Willie Nelson


	15. Chapter 15 - Disappearances and ()

**Disappearance and Reappearance**

"Hey dickless! Time for your transfer is up!" The booming voice accompanying the loud banging on the door of the confinement cell announced. "You know the drill! Get your ass over here and present your hands for the restraints!"

The inmate, a man in his early forties with disheveled brown hair, an unkempt beard and a face that might once have been called handsome, squinted as if trying to see clearly before he stood wearily and shuffled toward the door. "What time is it?"

"It's 'transfer the child abuser out of my fine and clean prison' time, asshole! Now get a move on!" the guard responded as he reached through an opening slate in the door to put two cuffs around the offered wrists. "What do you care anyway, it's not like you will see much differences. I doubt you'll get a better treatment anyway!"

The man turned and bellowed. "Open up four!" and the loud mechanic clangs of the door's locking mechanism disengaging resonated in the cell before the door opened. "Now stand still while we finish this… or better yet: Don't. I'll get an excuse to give you another taste of what you put those kids through…" The guard muttered as he moved to put the rest of the chains on the prisoner.

Soon, the inmate limped his way through the corridors, the guard always behind him with a hand on his shoulder as two others walked one step before them and two more walked one step behind.

"Inmate walking through!" the guards called as they escorted the man, passing several locked doors and locks, until they reached a small hall where two men with DOC uniforms waited with the disgusted look of people who would rather be doing anything but transferring the prisoner they were ordered to.

"Okay, none of us really wants to be here today so let's do it quickly." One of the agents grumbled as he looked at his notepad. "We are here to take custody of inmate number 2203-16093, Jefferson, Mark, to proceed from his transfer from High Desert State Prison to Pelican Bay State Prison."

He looked at the chained man, checking him with the picture on his pad. "Okay let's process him… The sooner we're done, the sooner we can sterilize the bus."

They marched the inmate to a desk, taking his print to check them against the records, then both sets of guards signed and countersigned the various forms before shoving the prisoner into the back of a windowless van with the Californian Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation markings.

Once the doors were secured the engine started, and a large armored gate opened. letting the van leave the facility.

An hour later, another DOC van presented itself at the gate for the transfer of the same prisoner.

* * *

Juliet Watson was not what one might call happy. Her life had not really taken the turns she had expected it to take, so she might have had a reason. Or so people would think. After all, a girl who had, since Junior High, participated with clear devotion into news reporting and writing would probably have been expected to become a famous investigative reporter.

In a way, she had done so. She certainly had nailed the investigative part. And she did report to people about her findings by writing. Just, she did not write news articles or books. She wrote official investigation reports.

Because, after one of her high school classmates disappeared in her last year, and rumors began that she had been killed, Juliet had decided to use her skills and her need to find the truth about everything around her in a different way.

And so, instead of majoring in reporting, she went to Washington State University's Forensic Science program where she put as much of herself into her studies as she had in the school's newspapers. She even became estranged from her friends, all in the only goal to find out what happened to her classmate and maybe prevent another similar situation.

She, as expected, aced the course and got a recommendation for an internship with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, before becoming one of the Special Agents in the Seattle's branch; and more particularly the RICO special investigation team that focused on one specific branch of the North Western Irish Mob.

Still, after working with the team for nearly a year, she had not found much more about what she really was looking for.

Today, she sat again in front of the large board covered with dozens of pictures of the various members of the gang. The picture of the leader showed a grumpy man with light brown hair and a lumberjack beard. His face was stern, merciless and devoid of emotions, yet Juliet kept hoping she could see a hint of pain in his blue eyes. Maybe because she still could not believe the man who had once crushed the knees of a boy who bullied the teenager in the picture beside his, would kill the same girl in cold blood.

Juliet's eyes lingered on the smiling face. She wasn't sure when the picture had been taken, but Juliet remembered that cheerful expression covering the girl's face for most of the year preceding her disappearance. She looked at the brunette, her blue eyes half closed as her cheeks were raised, pulled up by her beaming smile displaying white teeth. The freckled face still seemed to be laughing, and Juliet could almost hear her voice.

 _She certainly looked much fuller of life than her father does._ She thought bitterly. _I wish I knew where you were, Maxine._

Her eyes kept looking around the board, trying to make sense of it. It was not like they had no crimes to build their case on. The racketeering of the Seattle's dock, the murders, the assault, all of those were filling several boxes of files. They just had no definitive link, no witnesses, no clear and indisputable piece of evidence to tie the mobster to them.

Even the short war and the tension still present between the Seattle Irish mob and the Portland one had not brought enough evidence. Those two clans sure were smart. They had to be to last so long in this new age of science.

The Bureau had originally investigated the disappearance of the Caulfield daughter as an explanation to the hostilities between the families. After all, if the Portland mob had killed her, it would have explained why the Caulfield's had retaliated.

Except Juliet could list two reasons why that hypothesis could not work. To begin with, the first blood, if one ignored Maxine's disappearance, had been one of the Caulfield's lieutenant being sent to orbit when a bomb put under his seat had blown his car into tiny little pieces. If the war had started because the Portland mob had killed the Caulfield's daughter, then why had one of the Caulfield's lieutenant been the first victim?

Second, Juliet could not imagine even one instant that Ryan Caulfield, who everyone at her school knew would kill anyone even looking the wrong way at his daughter, would accept a truce, if not peace, with the mob family he suspected had killed his daughter. No way! Never… To her, if that family had killed Maxine, Ryan would not have stopped until Portland had been a single smoking crater.

And apparently, the Bureau had come to the same conclusion over a year after the brunette's disappearance, when her name was mentioned in a different case in California.

When she had been told of that part of the file, Juliet had almost wished the rumors had been true. Because if Maxine had not died back then, she would probably had wished she were dead if all Juliet read in the reports had happened.

 _At least, the fucker has been given a life sentence!_ Juliet thought. _I just wish we could put him in general population and let the other inmates deal with him! Instead, of keeping him in solitary in the one chance he can give us some bit of information._

It galled her that they had to keep the asshole safe. Her eyes lingered on the report hanging from the board.

'Mark Jefferson, then 38, was found unconscious in his office at the 'School for the Lord's misguided sheep' – in effect, one of those supposed Catholic realignment center for problematic children, where problematic meant gay. After investigations into the assault, California State Police found out that Mark Jefferson, who had been passing for a priest, had never been to seminary school or been ordained by the Catholic Church or any Church in existence. It also came to light that Jefferson, under the pretense of treating the 'problem' of the children in his care was torturing and abusing the children to the point some had been found severely wounded and traumatized. It has been determined that during the hours preceding the discovery of Mark Jefferson in his office, he had been performing one of the 'educational session' on one of the girls placed in his care. It is the opinion of the investigators that during the course of that session, the girl found a way defend herself by grabbing a letter opener and stabbing Mark Jefferson several time before escaping; leaving Mark Jefferson unconscious with multiple lacerations, stab wounds to his hands, back and crotch, which resulted in a 25% loss of mobility of his hands, and the amputation of 80% of his scrotum as well as both testicles. While the identity of the aggressor remains undetermined, only one student had been missing at the time of the discovery, a girl by the name of Maxine Caulfield, age 19.'

 _Well at least, she did pay the fucker back!_ Juliet's lips curled a bit.

She almost leaped from her seat as the door opened. "Hey Jules!" Special Agent Hayden Jones greeted as he entered the meeting room with a couple of files in his hands. "Glad to find you here."

He walked toward the board and sighed. "Okay, I got some good and some bad news… Which one you want first?"

Juliet groaned. "let's start with the bad one…"

Hayden nodded and pulled a sheet of paper from a folder before pinning it to the board. Juliet's eyes grew wide as she noticed the Wanted poster. "Are you fucking kidding me?! Jefferson escaped?! I thought he was in solitary in a maximum-security prison! What the fuck happened?!"

Hayden shrugged. "Not sure yet. He was scheduled to be transferred from High Desert to Pelican Bay after we heard chatters that someone was after him. Everything seemed to go well, and he was transferred into the DOC's custody for the relocation… Except that when the crew scheduled for the transfer showed up at Desert High, the guard and warden reported that Jefferson had left about one hour earlier with another DOC crew… Which of course the DOC of California has no knowledge about."

Juliet slammed her hand on the table. "And the fucking guard had no suspicions when the transport showed up early? Where do they hire their staff? Stupid's R us?"

Hayden shrugged. "No idea. Anyway, the California State Police as well as California Highway Patrol, the US Marshall's and every officer and agent with an official Californian or Federal Badge down there is now looking for the escapee. They've got barrages on every road leading out of the State, and a mandatory search has been put in place at the Mexican border."

Juliet wiped her face with a hand. "Jeeze Hayden! They've got to find him! That fucker is our only lead on Maxine!"

"Easy tiger!" The man said while raising a hand. "I know you knew her, but you should not let it interfere with your job! We're here to nail her father, remember? And I think it's safe to say Ryan Caulfield might be joining the hunt for that one."

"So what? We give up on finding a missing person and let him kill our only lead so we can nail him? Because you think he'll do it in a way that let us prove he's done it?" Juliet retorted.

"Nope. I think if he does it, we'll never find Jefferson again…. Or we'll find pieces and parts reappearing now and then…" Hayden said with a shrug. "Now… I did promise you good news… want to hear it?"

Juliet rose a skeptical eyebrow. "What is it? We finally get the name of your new squeeze?"

Hayden shook his head. "Nah, not telling. So, don't ask. But we did get this." He said while pulling a second sheet of paper and placing it on the board beside the picture of the smiling girl. "A brand-new ID card has been issued by the DMV of Oregon for a Maxine Caulfield using a copy of the birth certificate of Maxine Caulfield, daughter of Ryan and Vanessa Caulfield, born in Seattle."

Juliet did jump from her seat in order to look closely at the picture. "You are fucking joking, right? You found her?"

"Yes, and no." The agent responded. "It's here alright, even with the changes, the people at forensics say the eyes and freckles are a giveaway. So, we know she's in Oregon. We know she went to the Hillsboro DMV offices and registered for a Class C license exam. However, her address on records is that of a PO box in Newport Oregon, so we don't really know where she is. She probably resides near Newport, but it would take time and a request to the Oregon State Police to find her."

"Then we should send the request already!"

"What for?" Hayden retorted dryly. "Jules, I know you joined the Bureau to find her, but what would be our reason to search for her? We don't need her to nail Jefferson, not anymore, she already gave us his balls on a silver platter, literally! She's been away from her father for years so she's out of the loop as far as our investigation is concerned, and I doubt she'd been involved in much while she was a kid, so we can't use her for that."

He reached placing a hand on her shoulder in a sympathetic gesture. "Let her go, Jules… It's good enough to know she's alive, isn't it?"

Juliet looked at the DMV card picture, her eyes taking in the differences with the picture of the girl beside it. Gone were the smile, the cheerful eyes, the shoulder long brown hair. Gone was the hipster look with its innocence. Instead, they left place to various piercings, and a lighter colored side-cut that gave the girl a punkish look. But more than all, Jules could see the cold, the ice in the eyes, so similar to those she could see on the face of her father.

"She's changed…" She whispered a bit to herself. "Seems like a different person…"

"Yeah… well considering what she went through with Jefferson, and that she's been wandering since… I guess it's not surprising" Hayden responded as he looked at his phone.

"I suppose you are right…" Juliet pondered a moment before turning. "Mind if we keep looking into her?" She rose a hand before he could argue. "I know, she's not essential to our investigation, but… Even if she wasn't part of her dad's business, even if her death wasn't what triggered the war between the Caulfield's and the Portland mob, that war began when she disappeared… it may still be related…" She turned and looked at the picture… "That and… if news that she's alive spreads…."

"Yeah… she's pretty close to the Portland area…" He typed a few words in his phone. "Might be a good idea to keep an eye on her." He turned and walked to the door with a grunt. "Okay, let's go… They found Jefferson…"

"Already?" Juliet rose an eyebrow.

"Yeah… guess he did not really escape…. They found his body near Eagle Lake… It's not pretty."

* * *

"It is done." A calm voice reported from the loudspeaker on the wooden table. In the room, a man in his fifties stood facing the window, his hands crossed behind his back. He stared at the wintery sky for a moment before turning and walking back to his desk.

"Any problems?" he asked with a gruffy voice.

"None. It went as planned. They didn't even care that we were early." The voice reported.

"Good. And any way this will be tied to us?"

You could almost hear the headshake through the phone as the man responded with amusement. "No, sir. The van we used was a legitimate one we stole from the DOC depot the night before. The men who played the guards were locally hired thugs, and they won't be able to tell the story to anyone. None of our organization was even close to a single camera or anything." The man paused a moment and added. "The only one who would have known is Jefferson himself. As per your instructions, we made sure he knew who had ordered it and why. In fact, Sean made sure to articulate every word while he nailed him to the tree he was left on."

The man in his chair grunted, the sound both expressing pleasure and displeasure. "I should have done it myself."

"It was too risky, sir. We know the Bureau has been watching you more and more closely." The man intervened.

"I know why I could not. Doesn't mean I have to like it." The man growled. He stood and paced behind his desk for a few seconds before sighing. "Okay, that prick's been taken care of. And I'm confident you guys made his final moments on earth as hellish as the Hell we sent him to. Got anything else to report?"

There was some hesitation for a moment in the voice coming from the phone. "Well… Our source at the City Hall reported someone requested a copy of Maxine's birth certificate. We tried to track it, but it was sent to a P.O Box in Oregon."

The pacing man froze. He turned and stared at the loudspeaker before asking. "Is it her?"

"I don't know, sir. It's probably her, no one else should have a reason to request it. Do you want me to investigate?"

The man sat back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk as he thought it through. "Where in Oregon?"

"According to our source, it went to Newport. We could probably send a couple of men and stake the post office." The man offered.

"Newport is close to the Graham territory." The man responded thoughtfully. "I don't like the idea of her in that area."

"Neither do I, sir. She may be estranged, but there's too much backstory for comfort… Especially for Maxine, even if she might not realize it."

The man pursed his lips his shoulder dropping as he sighed. "Don't send the men yet. No need to stir things up and draw attention on her. Try our sources first to see if you can get anymore intel."

"Yes, sir." The man responded.

"And Paddy."

"Yes sir?"

"If you find out she's safe, you better make sure she stays so." The man added firmly.

"Of course, sir. I'll try to find more leads, sir. Now that we know she's alive, we may find more about what happened to her and how she's doing."

"Do so. And tell the guys I said good job on the Jefferson matter."

"Will do, sir."

The phone clicked as the line got cut. The man leaned back in his chair, his eyes moving to the picture resting on a corner of his desk. His eyes softened as he looked at the cheerful smile of the girl; and for a moment he pondered if he'd ever see his daughter's smile again. _Not like I deserve it anymore._ He thought grimly.

* * *

In a small club in Portland, a smallish Asian girl with red highlights in her black hair clenched her fists unhappily as she read the message her man had sent. Her eyes thinned behind her glasses as she cursed silently.

 _The bitch is back! How can it be?!_

She quickly typed two messages to her source. 'Find where she is!" and "Talk about this to no one but me!"


	16. Chapter 16 - (No) Rest Area

**(No) Rest Area**

The truck took speed leisurely as Chloe drove along the ramp taking her back on the I-5 South, and Max stifled a yawn as she pressed herself deeper into the passenger seat. It had still been dark as they departed the truck stop near Orland, CA where they had rested for the night and the pink-haired girl was having trouble not to doze off.

Unlike her punk driver who, in Max opinion, seemed to deal incredibly fine with it, Max was not used to waking up in the wee hour of the day. As a matter of fact, it was more an hour she was used to go to bed to; so she had a sensation of suddenly taking a twelve hour jetlag she could not yet shake off.

Of course, the tension of sleeping in the cramped, by comparison to a real room, cabin with another person she only met a few days before – and who snored like a wood chipper as soon as she was on her back – was not a way to help her sleep easily.

The result had been dreadful. When the blue-haired chainsaw's alarm clock had started to fill the truck with its blaring noise, at Oh Dark thirty, Max had barely managed to fall asleep. So she had stirred up groggily, dressed up – which meant putting her shoes back on, since she didn't trust her driver enough to remove any pieces of clothing, yet – and followed the punk girl to the truck stop's restaurant for much needed coffee, like a zombie shuffling after a brain to eat.

She did not have time to enjoy the coffee either; it seemed her fellow traveler was not one to dally much between the moment she woke up and the moment she began to work. She was probably not as much an early riser as her ungodly waking hour might let believe.

In any case, Max quickly began to doze off in the passenger seat as the truck reached its cruise speed of 54 miles per hour - just one below the state wide limitation because despite her rebellious look, Chloe was a law abiding trucker – lulled by the rumbling bass of the diesel engine.

On her side of the cabin, Chloe simply concentrated on the road, taking even more care with checking the position of other cars around her as she was in an unfamiliar truck. She checked now and then on her passenger, smirking at the relaxed state of the girl sleeping with her face pressed on the side window, drool dribbling at the corner of her lips, probably looking to those outside as if the girl had tried to get out and smashed herself on the glass.

She chuckled softly and reached for the radio, tuning to a Californian station and keeping the volume low so as to not wake up the girl beside her.

Chloe liked driving in the early hours of the morning. Not that she was a morning person, far from that, which was why she tried to cut the period between her waking up and taking the road as short as possible, so as not to fall asleep again. It was more the quietness of the roads, free from the rushed traffic of the day with cars and trucks zooming around as if they were the only one in a hurry, only to find themselves stuck in a traffic jam - usually because the same zooming driver messed up and crashed his car – honking her ears off as if it would make things move faster.

No, driving in the quiet of hours was much better. And as an added bonus, when she arrived at a truck stop for her daily 'evening' stop – in the middle of the afternoon or the early evening – the other drivers are still on the roads, leaving the best parking spots free for her truck.

They drove by Sacramento early enough that they avoided the morning rush hour with a comfortable margin. It served a double purpose, as far as Chloe was concerned. The first one was that by avoiding the morning rush, they would save maybe over an hour of travel time otherwise spent in traffic jams, barely moving if at all; which in itself was good enough to call it a definite win. The second one was that by passing by so early and so quickly, her passenger had a lesser chance to wake up while in the vicinity of the city, with the added bonus of avoiding the drama linked to the traumatic events preceding their meeting.

Of course, Max would have to learn to deal with it if she decided to take on trucking, as Sacramento was one of the hub where several roads intersected, but taking it one step at the time seemed like a good idea with a girl prone to drawing her knife or gun at the first sign of danger – be it real of not.

They were close to Los Banos when her passenger finally woke up, groaning as she stirred and unstuck her face from the window with a grimace that drew a few chuckles from Chloe.

"Morning. Sleepy head!" Chloe chided, checking her side mirrors in an automatic gesture. "Hope the glass was a comfortable enough pillow for you!"

The pink-haired girl stared back at Chloe with murdering eyes, and a raised finger. "Shut up… I barely slept last night… Someone kept feeding crunchy things to the wood chipper under my bed." Max retorted before adding. "And why did we have to set trail Oh dark fuck-ty instead of sleeping like any civilized person would?!"

Chloe chuckled. "Wood chipper? Where?" She shook her head before she continued. "We left early so as to enjoy several hours of relatively traffic free and drama free road. This way we are already half way to L.A. when leaving later might have had us stuck in Sacramento."

Max grunted, but had nothing more to say so she just mumbled to herself.

"Oh and by the way, next stop, you'll wash your face off the window please. Not that it's not cute and all, but I don't need anyone wondering what we've been up doing to get your face plastered on the glass like that." Chloe added with a smirk.

They stopped for lunch at a Truck Stop by Buttonwillow, west of Bakersfield, taking a moment to stretch their legs and eat hotdogs while Chloe tried to explain what would be the next portion of their route.

They drove down to Los Angeles, still on the I-5 South, listening to music from various rock stations they could tune to. All the while, Chloe glanced at her passenger wondering how the girl was feeling during her first real big haul.

 _At least she hasn't begun to ask 'are we there yet?' over and over again. I guess being on the road doesn't bother her._

Now and then, Max would ask her questions about the truck, the roads, and so on. Chloe was glad to respond, hoping to create yet another vocation and help the girl find a new life, and maybe stick around – after all the girl was cute, not that she let it drive her.

They were taking the ramp for the I-10 East, following the direction of Phoenix as they drove through the metropole, when the music coming from the radio stopped and the anchor began to speak.

 _"Please excuse us for the interruption, but the Californian Highway Patrol as well as the FBI and US Marshalls have requested us to issue the following announcement and warning statewide._

 _Earlier today, an inmate has escaped custody of the Californian DOC during his transfer from Desert High to Pelican Bay Prison. The escapee, a man by the name of Mark Jefferson was following a life sentence after his arrest about 5 years ago._

 _His arrest had been heavily mediatized as the man was impersonating a priest. Mark Jefferson had been found severely mutilated in his office at the 'School for the Lord's Misguided Sheep', an organization promoting torture and sexual abuse of young boys and girls in order to 'cure' them from their homosexuality. Needless to say, we all expect he will be found soon and put back behind bars._

 _The authorities are warning travelers and truckers that several road blocks have been put in place so as to check the vehicles and prevent his leaving the State. Additionally, if any driver were to see someone they suspect is Mark Jefferson, the authorities are advising you not to try to apprehend him alone, and to consider him armed and dangerous. Instead, they ask you to call 911 or the nearest Sheriff Office._

 _Anyway, my trucker friends, I'd tell you not to bother braking if that scum cross the road in front of you, but don't get your license pulled out for him, he's not worth the pain. We're now returning to our usual rock with Magnum – Tell me what you've got to say. Drive safe with CaliforniaRoad."_

Chloe had followed the caster's words without paying that much attention. As the music resumed she simply commented, "Makes me wish they still had the death sentence for assholes like him," with a grunting voice.

As she turned to watch why her passenger had not responded, she saw the girl pale and stiff on her seat, one hand clenched on door's handle, the other digging nails in her jean's as she breathed quickly.

"Hey? You okay?" The question was asked softly and at the same time as she spoke those words, she looked at the small tablet like screen hanging from the overhead compartment. "We don't have much longer to drive today, feel like we can hold till then or do you want to stop for a bit?"

Max hissed more than she responded. "Yeah… It's nothing…"

She began to relax and Chloe nodded doubtfully. "Okay, then." She looked at the road. "We'll be reaching the truck stop for tonight's rest soon. Why don't you get a warm shower there, then we'll get a warm meal at the restaurant and call it a day."

"Sounds good." The passenger simply replied absently.

* * *

The crack of the whip reverberated in the room drawing a scream of pain muffled by the rubber ball held tightly in her mouth. She jerked at the bite burning her back, her arms and legs twisting and pulling at the ropes holding her in place. Tears streaked her freckled face as the man behind her ranted. "Are you finally ready to repent your sins, Maxine?" "Do not worry, we will bring you back from Satan's clutches!"

It had been her first day in Hell. Earlier that day, her parents had dropped her off in that pension in California, leaving her in the care of a man in black with the white hard collar of priesthood who had introduced himself as Father Jefferson, smiling warmly at her and her parents. She had stood there numbly, the blueish mark of the backhanded slap her father had given her the day before marking her cheek.

She had still been trying to catch up with what was happening to her, standing as her parent's car left the parking, following the priest to his office so he could 'tell her the rules and working of the school'.

It had gone downhill from there. Upon entering the man's office she noticed two other men in similar priest garb quickly moving to stand on each side of her as Father Jefferson had swiftly locked the door. As he turned toward her, the warm comforting smile was gone, replaced by a predatory smirk that sent shivers into her spine.

"Well, well. God brought us another sinner to redeem." He announced with a tone that made Max think of a snake stalking a mouse. As he mused, he began to reach down and unzip the fly of his pants. "Now, young one, your first penance will be to worship this sign of manhood." Before she could argue, a hand had pressed on her shoulder, pushing her down to the floor and she found herself facing the now bared scrotum of the Priest.

She had of course refused, feeling sick and disgusted. She had tried to rise to her feet and bolt, but the two goons, for that was what they were, kept a firm hold on her. And the more she resisted, the angrier the man got. He had slapped her a few times, but she still refused. So, they had manhandled her until she had been laying naked, bent over a cold wooden desk, ropes tightly bound around her wrists and ankle so she could not move. And the priest had started to whip her.

Each blow was accompanied by an urge to repent, to forsake her sinful hatred of men, to learn her real place. Her back was on fire, skin raw, split and bleeding. She was crying, wanting to ask the universe what she had done wrong.

The whipping stopped. How many blow had she taken? She had been too taken by the shock and pain to count. Her whole body ached, muscles sore from the jerking and struggling caused by the lashes, jaw and teeth lancing as she bit into the rubber ball gagging her. She yelped as the man grabbed her hair and pulled her head back roughly.

"You unrepentant sinful bitch! I WILL teach you your place." He spat. "From now on, if you want to eat, you will have to worship the manhood of the man bringing you food! You will be bared at all times until you submit to the men willingly."

He dropped her head on the desk and she could hear cloth shuffling behind her, then she felt a hand rubbing and groping her sore butt as one grips a stress ball. "For now, let us show you the man's blessing as god intended!"

She felt something brush her petals and she shrieked around the gag as the older man shoved himself into her without care.

Her vision blurred, tears filled her eyes, she felt like she would vomit as the man pounded into her without mercy. Her hands clenched, trying to free herself from the rope. She struggled, her throat sore from her screaming.

It was long. So long. In her vision, light and dark alternated again and again as if marking the passage of time. She felt herself aging. Was it days? Weeks? Months?

The pain in her body spread. She lost weight, felt weak from her half-starved state and filthy from the continuous abuses. The man behind her kept at it, raping her, alternating between abusing her vagina and her rear, slapping her, groping her, pulling her hair back while cursing and insulting her.

And the rope around her right wrist suddenly gave, her hand finally finding itself free. She frantically tried to push herself off the desk, to get away, to find something to defend herself with. Until she closed her thin and weak fingers around a letter opener. With desperation, she slashed back hastily, twisting her body as a battle-cry rung through her suddenly ungagged lips. She felt, more than she heard, the painful grunt of her abuser as he stumbled back, his hardness slipping out of her.

She feared his response as she heard his curses, frantically working to saw the ropes holding her restrained limbs. All the time she expected him to suddenly grab her, to hit her and stop her from escaping. But as she finally freed herself, he was kneeling on the floor, holding his hands on his cheek, whimpering as he tried to stench the blood flowing from his ripped cheek.

Max saw red. All the abuses she felt, all the pain, all her fear, her shame, turned into hatred and anger. Her left hand grabbed the old fashion Bakelite phone sitting on a corner of the desk and slammed it at his head knocking him out. Then, with a guttural wail of pain and hatred, she let loose the beast in her, stabbing at him with the letter opener.

* * *

The wail startled her awake, causing her to suddenly sit up on her couch and slam her head against the bottom of the top bed.

They had stopped for the night at a Pilot truck stop near Cabazon, just outside L.A. Their evening had been quiet, nearly wordless as her passenger seemed closed onto herself despite the shower, the food and Chloe's attempt at humor. As they ate a well-deserved –in her humble opinion – steak with French fries and salad, they heard from the small corner TV that the escapee had been found murdered only a few hours after his disappearance. 'Good riddance' she had mumbled among a concert of agreement from other patrons. But Max had barely reacted, picking at her food silently.

They had gone to bed, going to sleep in the truck like the previous night. But it had not been easy. The pink-haired girl had been agitated, tossing into the top bunk whimpering. Chloe thought the girl was being uncomfortable because of her ribs, and maybe not as exhausted as she claimed seeing as she slept most of the way.

Until, the wail woke her up. It took her a moment to reorient herself – and stop the spin slamming her head onto the hard bottom shell of the top bunk had caused – and by the time she slipped out from her couch, she could hear someone hitting or punching at the mattress over her.

"Max?" She asked half awake. "What's wrong?"

But she got no response; only grunts accompanying more banging on the mattress.

She stood and reached for the cabin night light and froze at the scene.

Maxine was kneeling on her bunk, tears in her eyes and a scowl of pure hatred on her face, while she slammed her switchblade knife held in her joined fists down on her bed like a jackhammer. Chloe was not sure if the girl was awake, asleep, or just hallucinating; but the underlying pain she could read on the smaller girl's face got her moving.

She reached up, wrapping her arms around Max, trying to stop her from stabbing the innocent mattress more than it already had been and calm the pink fury down as she called. "Max! Hey Max! It's okay! You are safe! Max! It's me Chloe!"

At first, she had to struggle to control the little fury fighting like a wolverine, trying to free her self. But slowly, tension seemed to ease in the pinkette's body, her arms slowly fell down along her sides, finally letting the knife drop to the floor, as she leaned back against Chloe.

"Chloe?" The voice was faint, timid, hesitant, and Chloe kept the girl in her embrace, reaching with one hand to brush a hand on the pinkette's forehead.

"Yes… It's me, Chloe… You remember? The girl who saved you from your pimp, the one driving you around the States in her truck." She responded with a shushing and soothing voice.

The body in her arms began to shudder and tremble as soft sobs shook the smaller girl. And then, Max began to bawl loudly, pouring out all the anguish she had stored these past years while Chloe hugged her tightly against her.


	17. Chapter 17 - Lakeside Reflections

**Lakeside reflection**

Chloe looked at the pink haired girl sitting by the water of Klamath Lake and staring at the scenery as she smoked silently. They had stopped for a small break, a way to enjoy the sight rather than just passing by.

Chloe always liked driving the US97 through Klamath Falls, especially because of the portion of the road running along the lake that lay north of the town. It was not as pretty as those she had seen in Washington such as Crescent Lake; but the wide area with the mountains looking so far away made it seem like the end of the world, a place where everything is wild, where no problems can find you.

And it was on the way, so might as well let the girl enjoy it. It was not Crater Lake, of course, but then again, they could not have driven into the park with their truck. Still, by looking at the girl's thoughtful expression, Chloe felt like she had made the right choice by letting her take a break there. Especially after the previous days.

Chloe pursed her lips as she sipped from her coke, remembering the events. The frantic wake up three nights before had been bad. And the rest of the night too damn short. In fact, Chloe had to give up on starting at the time she had originally planned.

After she had managed to calm her passenger, bringing her back from whatever nightmare she had been lost into, it had taken her over an hour before the wails and cries finally softened, and the hands tightly gripping her shirt finally loosened enough so she could reach the cabin night light. This, in retrospect, was not that great of an idea. The soft red ambiance light had only added a darker atmosphere to the event, which the usual cabin white light might not have.

Two things had been obvious, though: Max's panic attack had really played a loop on her, leaving her face raw with anguish and pain, and there was no way the girl would sleep on the top bunk for the rest of the night as the frantic stabbing had killed the poor brand new mattress. The first one, Chloe could not really do much about aside from trying to comfort and show her support to the girl. The second would have to wait for them to stop at a bigger Truck Stop with a larger store. That or their return to HQ.

 _Geez, Victoria will kill me!_

In the end, she had killed two birds with that stone and shared her bunk with the pinkette. It had saved one of them from sleeping on a mattress with a large hole in it and allowed Max to find comfort in her presence. It was a tight fit, and not only because the bunk was originally planned for one person, but also because the broken girl had seemed to see her as some big teddy bear to hug for comfort.

 _Yep. Victoria will definitively kill me!_

They had gotten up with the sun, hit the road after a quick coffee and take out waffles and made the delivery in Surprise, in the suburbs of Phoenix by the end of the morning. A quick lunch later they were driving up to Flagstaff in order to load some rolls of fabric for a cloth factory in Portland.

They had managed to drive up to a truck stop in the outskirt of Las Vegas for the night, where Chloe had found a replacement for the assaulted mattress. That night again, the pink haired girl had joined Chloe in her bunk after another bad nightmare had woken them both up, and had pressed herself tightly to the punk driver, seeking warmth and comfort to sleep.

They had gotten up around 6am this time and drove up through Nevada, made a bit of Californian roads, stopping for the night again around Madeline, CA before they crossed the Oregon border just south of Klamath Falls. They had just driven a bit further up until they reached a quiet parking area by the lake for lunch.

All along, Max had barely spoken at all. She had spent her days sitting while looking at the roads and the landscapes, and most of the nights – after more nightmares – huddled along Chloe like a kid pressing itself against its mother for protection.

Chloe had hesitated all along to ask the girl what had happened, as she felt doing so would make the girl run. At the same time, it confused her a lot to see the girl who had been so stubborn in her keeping people away, in her refusing of any help, in her threatening of bodily harm if anyone touched her, turn suddenly so silent, fragile and desperate to feel her presence to the point she would hold on to her like a koala holds to its tree.

After looking at her watch, Chloe stood from the picnic table with a sigh and walked to join up with Max.

* * *

Max stared at the lake, watching the soft waves created on the surface by the lush winds. For some reason it helped her settle down as she thought about the events of the trip. She had been shocked to hear that her torturer had escaped. So scared, she had forgotten he had been found dead, finally having gotten what he deserved, and had nightmare of her time in that dreadful institution.

And it brought more questions… Did her parents know what she would be going through? Had they sent her there on purpose to suffer like she had? Or had they no idea of the reality behind that realignment school?

Max had no idea what the response to those questions would be. And she wasn't that eager to go and ask her father.

Another question was whether she was safe to reappear after missing for so many years. She knew she did not have much choice about it. Not after she had requested a certified copy of her birth certificate and gotten a new ID from the Oregon's DMV. If anyone wanted to know if she was still alive, she had lit up a pretty big beacon. But she doubted anyone cared.

 _I could always run away and get to the opposite side of the country._

She shrugged to herself, redirecting her thoughts to more direct matters. Like how she felt about the road trip. She had to admit being on the road had been interesting. She saw various sceneries, alternating between desert, fields and forestry, even from the highways. The company had been fine. Although, things had become awkward pretty fast.

And that brought the second question she had to consider in the very, very near future. _What should I do about my driver? What should I tell her? Or can I just keep as if nothing had happened and ignore the fact I'm –_

"Mind if I join you for a minute?" Chloe's voice interrupted her thoughts as the bluenette came to sit beside her, not waiting for the answer.

"It's a free country." Max simply responded, tensing up a bit as she sensed the dreaded questions coming.

"Want to talk about it?" The bluenette asked while staring at the lake as well.

Max took a moment to think about the idea. For some reason, now that she found herself facing the question, she was surprised to see it was not the idea of sharing what she had gone through that bothered her. It was more the idea of remembering it.

"I… I dunno" She finally responded. "I'm not sure if I am ready."

The punkish driver shrugged beside her and stood. "Fair enough. Just know I'm here if you feel like talking about it." She patted her jeans clean. "Anyway, we got to hit the road again if we want to get home today."

Max looked up and stood up with a sigh. "Okay…"

"Hey, don't sigh! I know the view is great here but trust me there are better ones. And you can always come back around here later if you want." The girl turned to walk backward as she talked. "Or are you that eager to spend another night in tight quarters with me?"

The grin on the bluenette's face sent Max's heart into slight flutters and she could not help but look away, walking toward the parked rig. As she popped the door open, she could hear the driver laughing at her embarrassment.

She climbed into the cab, mumbling at the girl. "Yeah don't expect anything from that." She then shifted into the back to search into her bag while Chloe started the truck. Picking up a book given to her a few days before by the bluenette, she returned to the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt.

They were underway for maybe half an hour when Chloe asked with a nod toward the book. "Thinking about getting your Commercial Driver License?"

Max raised her eyes from the page she was perusing. "Not sure yet… Just… looking into it… seeing if it might interest me."

Chloe shrugged as she checked her mirrors in an automatic sweep. "Fair enough I guess. Although don't expect the manual to tell you how it is." She smirked. "It's just rules and regulations in there, nothing about the work itself."

"Yeah, I thought so." Max responded absently. "Still, I guess it'll at least tell me if I wanna bother learning and following them."

"Well, it's not really complicated. Just got to count your hours carefully. Besides, this thing will do it for you." She explained patting the tablet fixed on the overhead board. "And tell everyone about it, too." She added with a grunt.

"I guess you don't like it."

"I don't like having a damned computer watching me doing my job. I never went over hours once, I don't need a fucking computer to tell me how long I've been driving." She swept her eyes across the mirrors. "Anyway, the hardest part about following regulations is to refuse being bullied into breaking them by your boss or the customer. As I told you, on that part at least, Bitchtoria is a fair boss. She won't pressure you into breaking regs. So, it'd be entirely at your discretion."

Max shrugged. "Yeah well, I'm not the kind to be bullied. Not anymore at least."

Chloe scoffed. "I'd say so, considering how you made your last boss accept your resignation!"

The bluenette pressed a button on her wheel and the truck began to slow a bit, a loud roar rumbling from the engine as the Jacob brake was engaged. Max looked up and saw another truck in front of them slowing down and preparing to take the next right.

"Anyway as I said, the regulations aren't the hard part of the job. The driving itself isn't that hard once you get used to it. Aside from crappy bosses, the hardest part is to get a good handle of your size and weight… And maybe not to fall asleep at the wheel during a long drive."

She slow down more, downshifting carefully, to let the truck in front of them take its turn. Then she stepped on the gas again, slowly accelerating back to their cruise speed. "Anyway, with handling size and weight comes the loading and unloading and all the stuff around the driving. It's muscle work, so you might find it physical."

Max pursed her lips. " Hmmm… I'll think about it then."

* * *

The drive to Portland took another seven hours. They drove over US 97 and Oregon 58 until Eugene before taking the I-5 North to their destination. This time, Max and Chloe weren't locked up into a waiting room. It allowed Max the chance to observe the process.

The weather being fair, she stepped out of the truck with Chloe as the bluenette went to open the loading doors of the trailer. She remained outside, watching the driver back the truck to the docks then waited for Chloe to join up to her with the shipping documentations.

The whole unloading took an hour in all. Max watched how things proceeded while Chloe kept an even more careful eye. "Because, these dockers don't care about the trailer and if you don't watch them, they tend to break things." She had explained at Max's questions.

Once the unloading was over, they drove back toward Arcadia Bay, reaching the Chase Freight Ltd's facilities an hour and a half later.

"Wanna help disconnect the trailer?" Chloe asked after backing up the trailer to its parking spot and pulling the parking brake fobs. "Would give you an idea of the job."

Max pondered a moment, then shrugged. "Why not… Beats doing nothing."

The bluenette handed her a pair of work gloves and waved her out. "Come join me on my side."

Max exited the truck carefully and put on the gloves as she walked around the tractor truck's front. "Okay. What now?"

Chloe smiled and walked to the side of the trailer. "First, we check that the ground under the legs is solid and stable." She said as she stomped the tarmac ground. "We would not want the trailer to sink while it's parked… It's a pain in the ass to raise it back up." She then pointed at the crank lever. "Second is, you crank the legs down. Give it a try."

Max shook her head. "Sure, give me the hard job!" She walked and took the lever in her hands starting to row it. "It's… easier than I thought."

Chloe smirked as she watched the legs of the trailer move down. "Yeah, I thought so myself when I started." She waved a hand dismissively. "Of course, when it's not properly greased or maintained… it can be a pain in the ass."

"And does it happen often?" Max asked, huffing a bit as she kept rowing the lever.

"Not here. Frank is taking good care of our trucks!" She smiled. "You're almost done."

"Good thing." Max grunted." I'm not sure it's something you should be doing with busted ribs!"

Chloe winced at the reminder. "Oops… sorry, I forgot about that. Let me finish it."

Max shook her head. "No… it's fine, I'm done already."

Chloe took a look, checking the position of the trailer and the extension of the legs. "Yeah… it should be enough." She moved toward the back the trailer "Next we got to secure the trailer's parking break and put the wedge behind the wheels so it doesn't start to move on its own."

As she spoke, she reached to join actions to the words, securing the trailer's parking. "Then we have to climb on the tractor to go unhook the cables and air hose." She said inviting Max to join her on the tail of the tractor between the cab and the trailer.

"Okay." Chloe paused. "First we unplug the electrical cable." She said while pointing at a big black plug, before pulling off. "And we hook it up on the rack head down."

"Why head down?"

"To prevent water to get into it." Chloe smiled. "No use creating shorts." She patted one of the two hoses. "Those are the air supply hands. The red one is called the emergency line. The air it supplies will unlock the brakes on the trailer's wheels. If it's cut, the brakes apply to stop the trailer."

Chloe patted the other one. "The blue one is the service line. It's linked with the air controlled by your brake pedal so when you brake, the trailer brakes also slow the trailer. Avoids it trying to drive in front of you."

"I see." Max responded, although her tone is unsure.

"Yeah. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it." She reached for the red hose. "We first unhook the emergency line, another way to secure the trailer. To unhook the hands, you have to raise it like this." As she spoke, she lifted fixture turning it up ninety degrees, letting a soft hiss of air as the remaining pressure was released. "Then, we hook it into the dummy on the rack to prevent dirt to get into the hose." She kept explaining as she demonstrated. "Now, why don't you try on the service line?"

"Okaayy…" Max responded reaching for the blue connector and moving it as she had seen the other girl do. It was hard at the beginning, the clamps making it a tight fit. Then it suddenly moved, turning and popping free with a slight hiss. She then reached to hook it to the dummy hand on the rack. "What now?"

"Now?" Chloe responded with a smile. "We get to unhitch this bitch!"

The girls climbed down from the gantry and Max watched as Chloe leaned under the trailer, reaching between the tractor's rear wheels and the bottom of the trailer's box. "There's a handle there. You see it?"

Max nodded and the girl continued. "You need to reach and grab it. You will see there is a second handle inside. You need to squeeze the inner handle together with the main one to disengage the safety, then you need to pull all of it."

As Chloe pulled back giving way, Max leaned while trying to grab the mechanism as she had been told. She had to push on her toes, half climbing on the large wheels in order to reach it – making her curse her pocket size – but she finally grabbed both handles, squeezing them in her fist before pulling hard.

The truck was new and the mechanism well lubricated. Still, being designed not to let the trailer's kingpin go while the combine was moving, the lock did not give way without an effort. Yet, after a soft grunt from her part, the lever came with a metallic 'clank' as the fifth wheel's locking mechanism opened.

She pulled back, standing up to face the smiling bluenette and grunted. "Okay… What now?"

"Now? We get back into the truck and slowly drive away."

After climbing back into the cabin, Chloe started up the engine again and carefully drove the tractor from under the parked trailer. "You got to be slow on that part, and make sure the trailer stays where it is. You never know."

She drove a few yards before stopping. "Say… you wanna try driving it to the parking?" She offered as she pulled on the parking brake fob. "Just a few spins at a slow speed, to see if you enjoy the feel of driving a bad boy like this!"

Max hesitated. She had not driven anything in years, and the last thing she had driven had been a small car. "I dunno… I've never driven something that big before."

"Don't worry!" Chloe dismissed with a wave of her hand as she stood up and shifted toward the sleeper. "I'll be there to guide you, and you'd only be moving slowly and forward. I'll be the one backing it up in the spot, okay?"

Max bit her lip before switching seat with a sigh. "Okay… but you're the one taking the blame if I break anything."

"Yeah, yeah. Just sit down and follow my lead." Chloe retorted wryly as she remained standing behind the seat.

Max studied the controls a moment and moved the seat a bit forward before looking up. "Okay… I never drove manual shifting. How do I do this?"

The blunette smirked. "Okay. So, left foot on the left most pedal. You press it fully." As she spoke Max followed the guidance, pressing on the pedal to the floor. "Then you take the shifter and move it into first. Just push it forward."

Max moved the stick forward with a frown. It did not move as easily as she thought but did slide into position.

"Now you softly press on the gas pedal with your right foot and slowly release the left pedal." Chloe said as she reached to push the parking brake fob.

Max tried to do as told and released the pedal slowly, but she did not do it slow enough and after lurching forward the engine stalled. "Shit!"

Chloe laughed softly. "Don't worry about it! Newbies always do this! Just press the pedal down again and turn the key to start the engine. Then try again."


End file.
